What's The Big Fuss About Boating Regulations?

Being on the water demands responsiblity. Boating regulations are in place across each state to aid in the prevention on accidents. The law varies from state to state, there is no uniformity. In essence younger pleasure craft users are being targeted to get regulated. There are clear benefits of getting a licence for being on the water.

Lower insurance, improved water safety skills for starters. Education is key. Statistics from the US Coast Guard for recreational accidents demonstrate the areas which water users as a whole need to tighten up on. For the year 2007 the following was recorded in US waters:

* 685 Fatalities

* 3,673 injuries

* 5,191 accidents

* $53 million worth of damage to vessels

If you add up all those incidents and divide by the sum then that's $5,550 of damage per accident. Let alone the greaving families, recovery periods and so on. Let's look at the principle causes of these statistics:

* 90% of drowned victims didn't wear a life jacket

* 20% of fatalities occured due to alcohol consumption

* Only 14% of incidents occured onboard boats whose operator had received a licence

The most common accident was collision with another vessel but 60% of fatalities were due to: capsizing or falling overboard.

The contributing factors to these situations were as follows: inattention, recklessness, excessive speed and passenger behavior. What the Coast Guard does not tell us is what the split is between powered craft and sailboats. This would be more accurate. Although i'm sure we have all been through hairy situations and learned from them.

So learning boating regulation and getting a licence is a passport to safer times on the water. Regardless of your level of personal knowledge and experience it is advisable to get certificated. The advantages out way the hassle. You can do an exam online an example is www.boaterexam.com/usa Boater Exam

You may be extremely competent, nobody is doubting your ability. But think about the way other boat users behave for a moment. Not everybody is as slick as you.

So when some idiot gets above his station then you'll be in a better position to show whose at fault. Because if s/he is not paying attention or accelerating instead of slowing down, as per the rules, then it's egg on there face and their insurance company will punish them. Did i mention you'd get cheaper insurance?

So check this site out and select your state. USCG Boating Organisation

In 2007 12.9 million boats were registered, which is two million more boats than were registered twelve years ago.

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