Study Ranks Top States Leading in Boating Safety

A recent study carried out by Florida personal injury lawyers Anidjar and Levine, reveals stark contrasts in boating safety across the United States, where California ranked 33 with 193 deaths between 2019-2023, a -1.12% change. While states like Nebraska, Washington, and Massachusetts have significantly reduced boating accidents over the past five years, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas have seen a troubling surge, with boating accidents soaring by 106-135%. Despite the overall decrease in boating fatalities, a concerning trend indicates that accidents are becoming more deadly. While boats themselves are safer, the study points to irresponsible behavior, particularly drunk boating, as a primary factor in these incidents.

 

The study analyzed Coast Guard-reported boating accidents from 2019 to 2023. To account for variations in boating activity across states, these figures were correlated to vessel registration numbers for the same period.

Nebraska has emerged as a leader in boating safety, significantly reducing accidents over the past five years. While the state already had a relatively low accident rate in 2019, it achieved a remarkable 57.5% decrease by 2023. Although fatalities remained consistent at an average of one or two per year, Nebraska’s overall boating accident rate is notably lower than many other states despite having a mid-range number of registered vessels.

 

Washington State has greatly improved boating safety, reducing accidents by half in the past five years. While the number of registered vessels decreased slightly, the state still saw a substantial drop in accidents per 100,000 boats. However, a concerning trend emerged: fatalities from boating accidents remained relatively consistent, indicating that while accidents are less frequent, they are often more severe.

 

While Massachusetts has reduced boating accidents by almost half in the past five years, a troubling trend has emerged: fatalities from these accidents have increased. Despite a decrease in the number of registered vessels, the state saw a rise in fatal boating incidents. This indicates that while accidents are less frequent, they are more likely to result in fatalities when they do occur.

 

Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas have experienced a significant surge in boating accidents over the past five years, with incident rates increasing by over 100% in each state. These states have seen the most dramatic decline in boating safety.

 

While the number of registered vessels in the U.S. declined slightly by 2.8% between 2019 and 2023, boating safety has had a positive trend. Overall, boating accidents decreased by 7.8% during this period. Encouragingly, fatalities also dropped by 8.1%. This indicates a general improvement in boating safety nationwide.

 

Despite the overall decline in boating accidents and fatalities, a disturbing trend emerges: when accidents do occur, they are more likely to result in fatalities. The rate of fatal accidents has decreased at a slower pace than overall accidents, indicating a higher fatality rate per incident in recent years.

 

Wyoming, Vermont, Missouri, Indiana, Louisiana, and Virginia have demonstrated exceptional progress in reducing fatal boating accidents, achieving at least a 60% decline over the past five years. Despite this positive trend, operator error continues to be the primary cause of boating fatalities, with alcohol consumption as the most significant contributing factor. While there has been a slight improvement in overall boating safety practices, the data reveals a persistent risk associated with operating vessels under the influence.

 

According to the study, nvironmental conditions are the third leading cause of boating fatalities, accounting for approximately one in forty deaths. These factors include weather, water conditions, and navigational challenges such as congested waterways, strong currents, and inadequate markers. While the impact of environmental factors on boating accidents has fluctuated over the past five years, it remains a significant risk for boaters.

Boat and equipment failures account for a minimal number of boating fatalities, occurring in less than 1% of accidents over the past five years. This suggests a continuous improvement in boat manufacturing and maintenance standards.

A spokesperson from Anidjar and Levine attributed the overall decline in boating fatalities to factors beyond equipment reliability, including increased public awareness and potentially a decrease in risky behaviors following the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

“However, this strangely translates into boating accidents, though happening less and less, becoming fatal more often. Massachusetts is a prime example of this,” said the spokesperson. “Boats rarely fail and cause someone to die nowadays. There appears to be an improvement at the manufacturers’ level, but we keep operating them more irresponsibly. In 2019, 13.3% of boating accidents were fatal, whereas in 2023, there were 13.7%.”

 

For more information, please visit  https://www.anidjarlevine.com/

 

Methodology:

1. The researchers collected the boating accident data from the U.S. Coast Guard’s 2019-2023 reports, as part of the National Recreational Boating Safety Program available at: https://uscgboating.org/statistics/accident_statistics.php
2. This study analyzed recreational watercraft, excluding those exempt from registration and inspection requirements. Included vessels encompass a wide range of types, from sailboats and motorboats to kayaks, canoes, and inflatables.
3. The U.S. Coast Guard defines boating accidents as those deemed reportable and involving deaths, missing people, personal injuries, damage to properties or entire loss of the vessel attributable to the watercraft’s construction, equipment, machinery, operation or seaworthiness.
4. Four sets of data emerged for every state: total registration numbers in 2019 and in 2023; the total number of boating accidents per year; the number of fatal accidents per year; and the number of deaths each of those fatal accidents resulted in every year.
5. The researchers correlated total accidents, fatal accidents and death statistics for each state to the number of vessels registered in 2019 and in 2023. Specifically, this was measured relative to every 100,000 registered vessels.
6. States were ranked based on the percentage decrease in total boating accidents from 2019 to 2023. While fatalities and vessel registration data provided additional context, the primary ranking factor was the reduction in overall accidents.