1. National Boating Safety Advisory Council
April 2010 Report On
Mandatory Education
&
Hands-On Education
Presented by:
John M. Malatak, Chief
Program Operations Branch (CG-54222)
U. S. Coast Guard
Boating Safety Division

2. States Requiring Motorboat Operator Proof of EducationDC AS GU
NMI
PWCs Only (Certain Ages or Rentals Only) - 4
48 of 56 states and territories require some sort of education.
PWCs Only (Certain Ages or Rentals Only) – 4 States
Born-on or after date – 17 States
Certain Ages Only (Usually preteens, teens &/or young adults only) – 19 States
Short-Term Phase-In (requires participation by all boaters) – 8 States
NC became a “Certain Ages Only” Mandatory education state (less than 26 year olds), where previously they had PWC only requirements .
On July 10, 2009, NC signed a new law for phased-in implementation of mandatory boater education. The new law states that no person shall operate a vessel with a motor of 10 horsepower or greater on the public waters of NC unless the operator has met the requirements for boating safety education or provides proof that he or she is at least 26 years of age. This law means that NC will now require boater safety education for all operators born after 5/1/1984.
FL became a “Born-on or after date” Mandatory education state (1/1/1988), where previously they had “Certain Ages Only” requirements
This new bill replaced language requiring those 21 years of age or younger to have completed a boating safety course with a new “born-after” provision that now requires all boat operators born on or after January 1, 1988 to have completed a boating safety education course.
Born-on or after date - 17
Certain Ages Only (Usually preteens, teens &/or young adults only) - 19 PR
Short-Term Phase-In (requires participation by all boaters) - 8 VI
No Education Requirements - 8
As of January 1, 2010
Note that each state has unique requirements that may impact different age operators.

3. Boating Safety Instruction Total Reported NASBLA-approved Certificates Issued FY 2006 – FY 2009
Differences between
A total of 71,493 additional total certificates were issued in 2009
68,911 additional certificates issued by states in 2009
2,582 additional certificates issued by USCGAUX & USPS in 2009
(These are only the number that passed the course & received certificates: (actual # of certificates in parentheses))
For 2009 – 522,292 total certificates were issued. 463,106 were issued by states – (Classroom, Homestudy, & Internet). USCGAUX & USPS issued 59,186.
2009
USCGAUX: 30,785 (10.7% of total Classroom certificates)
USPS: 28,401 (9.8% of total Classroom certificates)
Combined: 59,186 (20.5% of total Classroom certificates)
For 2008 – 450,799 total certificates were issued. 394,195 were issued by states – (Classroom, Homestudy, & Internet). USCGAUX & USPS issued 56,604.
2008
USCGAUX: 35,604 (12.7% of total Classroom certificates)
USPS: 21,000 (7.5% of total Classroom certificates)
Combined: 56,604 (20.2% of total Classroom certificates)
For 2007 – 457,518 total certificates were issued. 396,083 were issued by states – (Classroom, Homestudy, & Internet). USCGAUX & USPS issued 61,435.
2007
USCGAUX: 40,482 (13.4% of total Classroom certificates)
USPS: 20,953 (6.9% of total Classroom certificates)
Combined: 61,435 (20.4% of total Classroom certificates)
For ,353 total certificates were issued. 323,871 were issued by states – (Classroom, Homestudy, & Internet). USCGAUX & USPS issued 69,482.
2006
USCGAUX: 45,353 (17.7% of total Classroom certificates)
USPS: 24,129 (9.4% of total Classroom certificates)
Combined: 69,482 (27.1% of total Classroom certificates)

4. Percent of RBS Budget Spent on All Boating Safety Education Programs RBS Dollars (millions), All States, FY FY 2009 8% 9% 8%
For The $407.4 million is the total amount spent by all states on all boating safety programs, not just education.
Of the $407.4 million, roughly 8% ($32.6 million) was spent on education.
For The $404.5 million is the total amount spent by all states on all boating safety programs, not just education.
Of the $404.5 million, roughly 9% ($35.8 million) was spent on education.
For The $384 million is the total amount spent by all states on all boating safety programs, not just education.
Of the $384 million, roughly 8% ($30.2 million) was spent on education.
For The $344.6 million is the total amount spent by all states on all boating safety programs, not just education.
Of the $344.6 million, roughly 7+% ($24.5 million) was spent on education. 7%

5. FY 2009 RBS Budget Allocations
In FY 2009, States spent a total of 6 % of their overall RBS budget on education. The majority of the budget (55%) went towards law enforcement.
In FY 2009, 14% of the Federal RBS budget went towards Education. The largest percentage of the federal budget went to law enforcement as well at 63%.
STATE DOLLARS
SSBLA $127,047,047
NABA $91,009,645
WSSBA $57,830,090
TOTAL $275,886,782
FEDERAL DOLLARS
SSBLA $48,459,877
NABA $40,440,312
WSSBA $27,303,813
TOTAL $116,204,002
TOTAL DOLLARS
SSBLA $175,506,924
NABA $131,449,957
WSSBA $85,133,903
TOTAL $392,090,784

6. Amount Spent on RBS Education (millions) & Annual Fatality Rates, All States FY 2006 - FY 2008
There is almost no correlation between the two variables as r =
TOTAL EDU BUDGET SPENT (in mil $) FATALITY RATE PER 100,000 REGISTERED BOATS

7. Education Spending (millions) - Projected vs. Actual, FY 2006 - FY 2009
$44.1
$32.6
For all states & for all of their boating education programs: (combined federal and state share)
The 1st column represents the projected cumulative $$ amount the states anticipated spending on education.
The 2nd column represents the actual cumulative $$ amount the states actually spent on education.
Money NOT Spent - The difference between the 2 amounts shows how well they did on predicting , “projected” vs “actual” amounts (and how much money they left on the table).
$13.2
$12.2
$18.4
$11.5

8. Percent of RBS Budget Spent on All Boating Safety Education Programs Regional Comparison, FY 2006 – FY 2009
Total percent of RBS budget spent on all boating safety education programs compared over the last four years by region. WSBAA increased 1.3% from 2008, SSBLA decreased by 3.1%, and NABA increased by .2% since 2008.

9. Total State-approved Certificates By Region FY 2006 – FY 2009
10.7 per 100 registered boats
12.9 per 100 registered boats
Total number NASBLA-approved Certificates for the last 3 years by region:
SSBLA : 143,698 students
NABA – 2009: 170,334 students
WSBAA – 2009: 149,074 students
During the past four years combined (2006 through 2009), the following amount of persons per 100 registered boats in that region have received a NASBLA certificate. Note: average annual registered boats for the years 2006, 2007, and 2008 (2009 wasn’t releasable yet).
7.6 per 100 registered boats

10. On-the-Water Education
Currently…
Fatalities & accidents – flat
Land based basic boating safety
courses
What is the status of on-the-water education?
NASBLA best practices
19 courses and 3 in development
JOHN – Notes for your consideration:
***Currently there are no NASBLA standards for On-the-water / Hands-on Education.
***There is also little data available from course providers on certificates earned.
***However, there is NASBLA best practices for on-the-water/ hands-on education.
NASBLA’s Education Standards and Best Practices Subcommittee is creating list of best practices.

11. Practical “On-the-Water” course
Grant Update
Practical “On-the-Water” course
The Boating Safety Division solicited grantees to carry out a program to encourage and develop a small boat practical “on-the-water” course curriculum.
The 3 organizations that received grants to develop on-the-water courses are:
The National Safe Boating Council who developed a Close Quarters Boat Handling Course.
CEERI, Inc.
Developed on-the-water component offered at the dealership
Has follow-on grant to implement their program
USPS is currently developing a Practical On-the-Water Training Course.
CEERI, Inc is the Center for Environmental Education and Research, Inc and its affiliates
CEERI follow on Grant “Implement Dealer Standardized On-Water Training Program”
The CEERI follow-on grant will assist with the Dealer Certification Program (DCP). Current grant will allow the DCP to incorporate a boating safety element into their certification process. The National RBS Program’s 2009/10 objectives indicate an emphasis on advanced boating education (Objective 3) and align perfectly with CEERI’s proposed project. The Hands-on-Course (HOC) curriculum will focus on the operation of small boats in a variety of situations such as close-quarter maneuvering, navigating high-volume traffic areas, and dealing with inclement weather. The implementation of the HOC is also being piloted at up to 15 dealers in 3 regions of the country this year and will be completed by June There has been no feed- back to the success or failures of the program to date.
The actual name of the USPS course is: “Practical On-the-Water Training”

12. Program Impacts Insurance Enlighten brokers & underwriters
Develop tailored coverage
Ensure course providers have borrowed boat coverage
Capacity to Deliver
Instructor training
Risk management program
Acquire Boats & Facilities
Benefit
Attract new potential boaters
Enhance awareness to existing boaters
U.S. Power Squadrons finalized their insurance policy - give them the necessary blanket coverage to teach their On-the-Water Course curriculum. The policy is currently in effect & they can teach the course once the course is finalized & approved at the national Power Squadrons level.
American Canoe Association (Paul Sanford) working with the National Safe Boating Council, providing them with the guidelines, policies and procedures, that that the ACA uses to obtain their insurance underwriters for all their on-the-water disciplines. Similar insurance will be necessary for the “Close Quarter Maneuvering – Boat Handling Course”.

13. Providers of “On-the-Water / Hands-on Education”
American Canoe Association
US Powerboating
US Sailing Association
U.S. Power Squadrons
Boy Scouts of America
National Safe Boating Council
Multiple Commercial Providers
This is not a complete list of all suppliers of advanced education that require or offer an on-Water training curriculum.
Each have their own curriculum and specific skill sets that their governing body has approved. Many have required swimming, CPR and first aid requirements in their curriculums.
These organizations have mandatory classroom or one-on-one instruction.
They require a student to pass a written exam and show hands on/ on-the water proficiency in the type of watercraft in which they are being certified to operate.
Each organization maintains their own database of those completing a course and receiving a certificate of completion.
Some organizations only track the number and not the individual data

14. “On-the-Water” Education
The following initiatives were developed by various organizations. Here are some examples:
Inland Navigator Course is available – includes on-the-water curriculum.
Close Quarters Boat Handing Under Power is available - on-the-water component is still under development.
6 Hour Advanced Power Boating Handling available - on-the-water component is still under development.
Seminars for mates and crew is available, on-the-water component is still under development.

15. Capacity to Deliver
As an example, a USCG grantee, USPS, has initiated an instructor training program…
Based on US Sailing Instructor Training –
In two years have only 400+ certified instructors
In 2008 – 12,692,892 registered boats
In of the USPS certified instructors went through US Sailing training
How will all registered boat owners be reached?
What is the best way to ensure they are aware of the on-the-water courses and have access to courses and trained instructors?

16. Future Plans and Recommendation for On-the-Water Training Courses
Continue to monitor trends and numbers of organizations who offer on-the-water training.
NASBLA’s Education Standards and Best Practices Subcommittee has created a list of power & sail boat best practices for on-water, skilled based courses.
There are currently 19 available on-the-water courses and 3 additional are in the developmental stage. Paddlesports and youth organization programs are not included.
NASBLA plans to determine effectiveness of on-the-water courses (survey).
NASBLA Subcommittee will continue compiling a list of providers who offer on-the-water education and developing list of best practices.
The 19 available on-the-water courses and 3 additional in the developmental stage incorporate the NASBLA on-the-water best practices.

17. Where We Go From Here
Continue to track data to look for national, regional, and state trends.
Consider conducting comparative studies to help determine key denominators in successful programs.
Capacity to Deliver – work with partners/ providers to develop the best method to provide to boaters.