Almost 71 percent of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, with 84 percent of those victims not reported as wearing a life jacket. Approximately 14 percent of deaths occurred on vessels where the operator had received boating safety instruction. The most common types of vessels involved in reported accidents were open motorboats, personal watercraft and cabin motorboats.
The Coast Guard reminds all boaters to boat responsibly while on the water: wear a life jacket, take a boating safety course, get a free vessel safety check and avoid alcohol consumption.
To view the 2012 Recreational Boating Statistics, go to http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/accident_statistics.aspx.
Article courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters. For more information on boating responsibly, go to http://www.uscgboating.org/.