The U.S. Coast Guard has released its annual 2015 Recreational Boating Statistics Report, and not wearing life jackets and consuming alcohol are the two main factors in boating accidents.
The good news is that boating fatalities nationwide have hit the third-lowest average on record.
The bad news is that from 2014 to 2015, deaths on the water increased 2.6 percent and total number of accidents increased 2.3 percent.
Don’t Drink and Boat
Alcohol is the No. 1 contributing factor in fatal boating accidents.
Wear Your Life Jacket
According to the USCG report, 76 percent of fatal boating accident victims drowned and 85 percent of those victims weren’t wearing a life jacket. Life jackets have the word “life” in them for a reason.
The report concluded with a statement from the U.S. Coast Guard reminding “all boaters to boat responsibly while on the water: wear a life jacket, take a boating safety course, attach your engine cut-off switch, get a free vessel safety check and avoid alcohol or other impairing substance consumption.”
