PWC Jet Ski Insurance, National Safety Board
Personal watercraft (PWC) are a type of recreational boat that has become increasingly popular in recent years. Manufacturers estimate that about 200,000 PWC are sold each year and that more than 1 million are in current operation. Although the overall number of recreational boating fatalities has been declining in recent years, the number of personal watercraft-related fatalities has been increasing.
PWC are the only type of recreational vessel for which the leading cause of fatalities is not drowning; in PWC fatalities, more persons die from blunt force trauma than from drowning. The National Transportation Safety Board initiated this study to more closely examine fatalities and injury in addition to accident characteristics associated with PWC accidents.
The study was not designed to estimate how often PWC accidents occur, nor are the results of the study necessarily representative of all Personal watercraft (PWC) are a type of recreational boat that has become increasingly popular in recent years. Manufacturers estimate that about 200,000 PWC are sold each year and that more than 1 million are in current operation.
Although the overall number of recreational boating fatalities has been declining in recent years, the number of personal watercraft-related fatalities has been increasing. PWC are the only type of recreational vessel for which the leading cause of fatalities is not drowning; in PWC fatalities, more persons die from blunt force trauma than from drowning. The National Transportation Safety Board initiated this study to more closely examine fatalities and injury in addition to accident characteristics associated with PWC accidents.
The study was not designed to estimate how often PWC accidents occur, nor are the results of the study necessarily representative of all PWC accidents. The Safety Board analyzed 814 (one-third) of the 1997 reported accidents and examined all of the data for the 1996 reported accidents, which the Board believes provided a substantial number of accidents to identify the most important safety issues associated with PWC accidents.
The safety issues discussed in the report include (a) protecting PWC riders from injury; (b) PWC operator experience and training; and (c) boating safety standards. The study also addressed the need for recreational boating exposure data. Safety recommendations concerning these issues were made to the manufacturers of PWC, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, the U.S. Power Squadrons, BOAT/U.S., the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, the Personal Watercraft Industry Association, and the States and Territories.
Wednesday, Jun. 9th 2010 10:28 AM at 10:28 am
PWC Management Guide comprehensively reviews the scientific literature that does exist regarding PWC impacts. It discusses PWC use in the general context of recreational boating and, where appropriate, distinguishes between impacts that are unique to PWC and those that are relevant to other types of motorized vessels.
It also addresses the scientific uncertainties, data gaps and widespread misinformation that managers must contend with. Finally, it suggests important points to be considered as management alternatives are selected and strategies are developed.
Tuesday, Jun. 29th 2010 6:36 AM at 6:36 am
NASBLA is a professional association consisting of State, commonwealth, and provincial officials having responsibility for administering and/or enforcing State boating laws. The Coast Guard has a Memorandum of Understanding with NASBLA, and the two organizations hold intergovernmental sessions to coordinate boating safety resources that are distributed to the States by the Coast Guard through the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund (Wallop-Breaux).
Information on the 1997 fatalities came from Safety Board staff conversations with the NASBLA representatives and from the following publication: Small Craft Advisory. Dec. 1997/Jan. 1998. Lexington, KY: National Association of State Boating Law Administrators; 13(2): 8-13.
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