Boating safety

Rule #2 - know how to boat safely

5/13/2016

It’s still the beginning of lake season, so you still have time to read a boating guide. In fact, here’s one for you:

indiana_boating_handbook.pdf
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I realize it’s for Indiana, but most of it applies everywhere. I take the same approach to boating as I do for driving, which is that I operate under the assumption that everyone else out there is a complete moron. My Driver’s Ed teacher would call that: DEFENSIVE DRIVING. While I don’t believe that you (definitely not you dear reader!) and everyone else are morons, I also recognize that many people are, or at least they are lacking in self-awareness, or completely self-involved and therefore oblivious to their surroundings. On the Lake, it’s “if you can drive a car, you can drive a recreational vehicle.” Even if you have never, ever, driven a boat or wave runner, you can drive a boat with a valid driver's license. If you're under 16, you can actually take a boating course and operate a recreational vehicle. I didn't know that when I was 14 and got my first ever ticket. Sorry Dad!

Those of you reading this are hopefully King and Queens of your lake (submit an entry by the way and be featured), so you, of course, have read a boating guide! If you haven’t, be sure to read the one I just gave you….YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING OUT THERE! Enjoying the lake is a relatively easy endeavor, however, accidents can and will happen because obliviots are everywhere, and sometimes bad things just happen.

Here are some stats from www.uscgboating.org

· In 2014, the Coast Guard counted 4,064 accidents that involved 610 deaths, 2,678 injuries and approximately $39 million dollars of damage to property as a result of recreational boating accidents.

· The fatality rate was 5.2 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels. This rate represents a 10.6% increase from last year’s fatality rate of 4.7 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels.

· Compared to 2013, the number of accidents increased 0.05%, the number of deaths increased 8.9%, and the number of injuries increased 2.2%.

· Where cause of death was known, 78% of fatal boating accident victims drowned. Of those drowning victims with reported life jacket usage, 84% were not wearing a life jacket.

· Where instruction was known, 23% of deaths occurred on boats where the operator had received boating safety instruction. Only 12% percent of deaths occurred on vessels where the operator had received a nationally-approved boating safety education certificate.

· Eight out of every ten boaters who drowned were using vessels less than 21 feet in length.

· Operator inattention, improper lookout, operator inexperience, excessive speed, and alcohol use rank as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents.

· Alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents; where the primary cause was known, it was listed as the leading factor in 21% of deaths.

· Twelve children under age thirteen lost their lives while boating in 2014. Seven children or approximately 58% died from drowning. Four children or 57% of those who drowned were wearing a life jacket; two were not required to by state law.

· Where data was known, the most common types of vessels involved in reported accidents were open motorboats (47%), personal watercraft (17%), and cabin motorboats (15%).

· Where data was known, the vessel types with the highest percentage of deaths were open motorboats (47%), canoes (13%), and kayaks (10%).

· The 11,804,002 recreational vessels registered by the states in 2014 represent a 1.7% decrease from last year when 12,013,496 recreational vessels were registered.

Chilling….and mostly preventable! You can read the full report here:

https://www.uscgboating.org/library/accident-statistics/Recreational-Boating-Statistics-2014.pdf

That is some serious stuff there, and while being on the lake is awesome and amazing, and better than not being on the lake, it can get real serious real fast. I like to have my fun on the lake in the safest way possible.

Here are my top tips for boating safely:

Know how to swim. Where I went to school, you literally cannot graduate unless you can pass a swim test. If you are spending time on or around a lake, you have to know how to swim and tread water. No exceptions. Teach yourself and your family to respect the water. Plus, the lake is way more fun without the fear of drowning!
Always wear a life jacket when doing high speed lake stuff. There was a drowning at my lake last year when a young man about to graduate college went tubing. He did not know how to swim, and he was not wearing a life jacket. Don't be this guy. I can swim two miles straight, and I wear a life jacket when tubing or skiing, or riding a wave-runner. Sometimes I just wear them to float in. Also, IT’S THE FREAKING LAW! The DNR on my lake is more than happy (some, including me, would call them overzealous) to give you a $160 ticket for not wearing or not having a lifejacket for each person. They have stopped me three times when I’ve been out on the kayak (even though the lifejacket was clearly visible guys). If you can’t swim, go back to number 1, and then simplify this rule and just ALWAYS WEAR A LIFE JACKET ON THE LAKE.
Read the boating guide I already posted! Understand how to boat!
“NO WAKE” is self-explanatory, but many folks don’t understand what that means. If you look behind your boat and see a wake, you’re going too fast! It is crazy how little regard people (not you of course) for the no wake zones. Last year I witnessed a fully loaded pontoon boat cruising through a small cove that there were a couple hundred people floating. They were just weaving in, out, and through children, adults, dogs, and boats with no regard whatsoever for general human safety. Expletives were being hurled freely at them (not by me folks…my go to is to put my arms out in an exasperated manner and just look at them and say “come on”), but apparently they were made out of rubber because the mean words bounced off and they went on their merry little way after narrowly avoiding running over about 20 people. Where were you on that one DNR???? One caveat I may mention is that when you’re caught in a massive thunderstorm, the zones can be more of a guideline than a hard rule.
Lake Traffic goes counter-clockwise. I have to think this is standard everywhere, perhaps it’s the opposite in Australia (if any Aussies are reading leave a comment), but everywhere I’ve been this holds true. If there are no boats on the lake, feel free to go wherever you want. When there are boats on the lake, follow the direction that everyone else is probably going. You aren’t special. This would also incorporate not making hard turns right across the bow of someone else. In fact, that needs more emphasis.
Recreational Boating Vehicles do not react like cars and you must give more room! You’ve probably heard of the 2 car-length rule when driving. Boating is more like a 10 boat rule, at least. When you are encountering another boat, either make a definitive move early, or stay your course. DO NOT MAKE SHARP TURNS ACROSS THE BOW OF AN ONCOMING BOAT, ESPECIALLY WHEN TOWING SOMEONE! This happens all the time, and it is infuriating, and exceedingly dangerous. Don’t even risk it. Make your turn when there is way, way too much room, or stay your course. This also goes for stopping and starting. Don’t go from full speed to stop without looking around and behind you. Especially don’t do that in the very narrow channels or bridge underpasses where there are definitely boats behind you. For starting, be sure you have a clear path in front of you AND to the sides.
Drive sober! Did you read this from earlier? “Alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents; where the primary cause was known, it was listed as the leading factor in 21% of deaths.”

I love drinking. I love boating. I love to do both. When I do both, I’m not the driver! Simple.

OK fellow Lakers, you’ve been refreshed! El Nino is finally over and Mother Nature is bringing the heat, get out there and Rule The Lake (just do it safely)! Leave a comment and tell us some of the bad behavior that you see out there, and if you’re the offending party, utilize the friendly boat wave as an apology and you’ll be good!