Davis Law Group, P.S.

Number of Boating Falities at Record Low in 2010

In 2010, total national boating fatalities dropped to 672, which is the lowest number on record. The U.S. Coast Guard’s 2010 Recreational Boating Statistics also found that almost three-fourths of all fatal boating accident victims drowned and of the drownings, 88 percent were not wearing a life jacket. The leading contributing factor in the death-related boating accidents was alcohol, which has remained a common trend. The report shows that alcohol was the primary factor in 19 percent of the deaths.

The other four leading factors were improper lookout, excessive speed, inattention, and operator inexperience.

From the 2010 report, statistics show that there was $35.5 million in property damage from boating accidents. The number of accidents decreased by 2.66 percent, the total number of deaths decreased 8.7 percent, and the amount of injuries decreased 6.1 percent.

The results also show that very few boating accidents occurred with boat drivers that had received boating safety instruction.

In 2008, boating fatalities had increased in Washington State and was the leading state in boat-related deaths. Click here to read entire article on 2008 boating statistics.

Click here to an article in our law library on boating accident prevention.

Davis Law Group wants to remind you take extra precautions when boating on holiday weekends. The majority of boating accidents occur on busy, holiday weekends.