Safe Boating Practices - Observing National Safe Boating Week

About the National Safe Boating Council

All the information below was gathered directly from the National Safe Boating Council official page, and you can learn more about the National Safe Boating Week on their official page, as well as grabbing resources like social media templates to post, posters to print out, etc.

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"Established in 1958, the National Safe Boating Council is the foremost coalition for the 

advancement and promotion of safer boating through education, outreach, and training. For more information about NSBC programs and professional development opportunities, visit www.safeboatingcouncil.org." 

The important National Safe Boating Week happens annually the week prior to summer kick-off, which is before Memorial Day weekend.  The reason?...because many more boaters are out on the water in late spring and all summer than any other time of the year.  NSBC simply asks the public to celebrate the annual event by doing a few things to help raise awareness.  

• Wear Your Life Jacket at Work Day  - anytime is great, but their official day is Friday, May 17, 2024.  Head over to the Safe Boating Campaign page for info and instructions about this special day.
• Observe National Safe Boating Week in some way.  This could be through posts on social media to more hands-on community activities - just check out the NSBC page for guidance on this. 
• NSBC encourages boating enthusiasts to share information with their local community about responsible boating via social media, launch point reminders, outreach events, vessel safety checks, and more.  It's so easy, they supply you with everything you need on their website.

​They offer a great toolkit that includes a selection of resources: talking points, daily social media posts, template press announcements, fact sheets, videos, images, and more!  Just grab something and help spread the word.  
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Visit their official resources page for additional resources that YOU can do to help the campaign and raise national awareness.

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Boating Safety Tips

Wear a life jacket - No matter what activity you have planned on the water, always remember to wear a life jacket every time you are on the water. Accidents on the water can happen much too fast to reach and put on a stowed life jacket. Make sure your life jacket is U.S. Coast Guard approved, appropriate for your water activity and fits properly. A life jacket that is too large or too small can cause different situational problems.
Know state boating laws - Rules and laws can differ from state to state and violations can result in ticketing, fines or jail time.
Take a boating safety course - Learn valuable tips that can help save your life in unexpected situations by taking a NASBLA (National Association of Boating Law Administrators) approved boating safety course. Many courses are online, and will save you money on your boat insurance.
Make sure your boat is prepared - There 

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are many items that need to be checked and rechecked on any boat. Schedule a Vessel Safety Check with your local U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary or U.S. Power Squadrons before you hit the water. Every Vessel Safety Check is conducted 100 percent free of charge. Be sure to know your boat’s capacity. If you have too much on your boat, the boat may become unstable and capsize.
Check the weather, including the water temperature - Know the latest marine weather forecast prior to going out, and keep a regular check for changing conditions.
Dress properly - Always dress for the weather, wearing layers if cooler weather, and bring an extra set of clothes in case you get wet.

Always file a float plan - File a float plan with someone you trust that includes details about the trip, boat, persons, towing or trailer vehicle, communication equipment, and emergency contacts.
Use an engine cut-off switch – it’s the law - An engine cut-off switch is a proven safety device to stop a powerboat engine should the operator unexpectedly fall overboard
Always follow navigation rules - Know the “Rules of the Road” such as operator’s responsibility, maintaining a proper lookout, safe speed, crossing, meeting head-on, and overtaking situations. Know what’s going on around you at all times, and always travel at safe speeds for the environment. 
Don’t drink while you boat - Where the primary cause was known, alcohol was listed as a leading factor in boating-related deaths. Always designate a sober skipper. 
Beware of carbon monoxide poisoning - Gasoline-powered engines on boats, including onboard generators, produce carbon monoxide (CO), a colorless and odorless gas that can poison or kill someone who breathes too much of it. Be sure to install and maintain a working CO detector, never block exhaust outlets, and always dock, beach, or anchor at least 20 feet away from the nearest boat that is running a generator or engine.
Keep in touch - Communication devices can be the most important piece of emergency equipment on board a vessel, especially in case of emergency. Be sure to have at least two communication devices that work when wet, such as satellite phones, emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRB), VHF radios, and personal locator beacons (PLB). And, know how to use it.

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Important Boating Stats

This info is directly from the Safe Boating Council website, based off *Statistics from the U.S. Coast Guard’s 2022 Recreational Boating Statistics)  Keep these stats in mind to help motivate you and your crew to spread the word about boating safety!

• Number of Registered Boats - The 11,770,383 recreational vessels registered by the states in 2022 represent a 1.6% increase from last year when 11,957,886 recreational vessels were registered.
• Fatality Rate - was 5.4 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels. This rate represents a 1.8% decrease from the 2021 fatality rate of 5.5 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels.
• 2022 total boating accidents - In 2022, the Coast Guard counted:
  • 4,040 accidents that involved 658 deaths
  • 2,222 injuries
  • $63 million dollars of damage to property as a result of recreational boating accidents
• Victims not wearing a life jacket - According to recent U.S. Coast Guard statistics, where cause of death was known 85 percent of drowning victims in recreational boating accidents were not wearing a life jacket in 2022.​
• Boating instruction - Where instruction was known, 74% of deaths occurred on boats where the operator did not receive boating safety instruction.  Where instruction was known, only 14% of deaths occurred on vessels where the operator had received nationally-approved boating safety instruction.
• Boating and Drowning - Drowning is the reported cause of death in 75% of all boating fatalities.  3 out of every 4 boaters who drowned were using vessels less than 21 feet in length.
• Top contributing factors in boating accidents - The top five primary contributing factors in accidents are operator inattention, operator inexperience, improper lookout, excessive speed, and machinery failure.
• Boating under the influence - Alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents. Where the primary cause was known, alcohol was listed as the leading factor in 16% of deaths.
• Propeller Strikes - There were 173 accidents in which at least one person was struck by a propeller. Collectively, these accidents resulted in 41 deaths and 182 injuries.
• Common vessels involved in boating accidents - Where data was known, the most common vessel types involved in reported accidents were open motorboats (47%), kayaks (14%), personal watercraft and pontoons (both 9%).

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• Top states by recreational boating deaths:

1. Florida (66 deaths; 448 injuries)
2. California (43 deaths; 198 injuries)
3. Texas (34 deaths; 132 injuries)
4. Louisiana (29 deaths; 85 injuries)
5. Tennessee (27 deaths; 52 injuries)
6. New York (24 deaths; 67 injuries)
7. Georgia (23 deaths; 60 injuries)
8. South Carolina (22 deaths; 91 injuries)
9. Wisconsin (20 deaths; 67 injuries)
10. North Carolina (20 deaths; 64 injuries)

• Top states by recreational boating accidents

1. Florida (712 accidents; 65 deaths)
2. California (387 accidents; 42 deaths)
3. Texas (201 accidents; 30 deaths)
4. South Carolina (154 accidents; 24 deaths)
5. North Carolina (152 accidents; 22 deaths)
6. New York (143 accidents; 20 deaths)
7. Missouri (126 accidents; 11 deaths)
8. Ohio (124 accidents; 12 deaths)
9. Maryland (119 accidents; 17 deaths)
10. Tennessee (116 accidents; 24 deaths)

Bottom line... BE INFORMED, GET LICENSED, FOLLOW BOATING RULES, BOAT SAFELY, and HELP SPREAD THE WORD about boating safety and etiquette in your community.  

Date of original article:  4/5/22
Updated:  5/5/24