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Watch a video of the 2023 NSBW Proclamation presented by the St Mary's County Commissioners on 23 May 2023 at Leonardtown Wharf 2023 NSBW Proclamation
Watch a video of a boat fire rescue by one of our sister flotillas in Annapolis! Boat Fire
Watch a video of a successful search and rescue near Wilmington, NC.SAR Wilmington, NC
Video Boat Sober
Recreational Boating Statistics
- In calendar year 2020, the Coast Guard counted 5,265 accidents that involved 767 deaths, 3,191 injuries and approximately $62.5 million dollars of damage to property as a result of recreational boating accidents.
- There is evidence that boating activity rose significantly during the pandemic, from reports of increased boat sales, insurance policies taken out, insurance claims, and calls for towing assistance.
- The Coast Guard is analyzing variables associated with boating activity to normalize accident data.
- Numerous states cited difficulties registering boats due to office closures during the pandemic. The Coast Guard did not perform any statistical adjustments to state figures.
- The fatality rate was 6.5 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels. This rate represents a 25% increase from the 2019 fatality rate of 5.2 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels.
- Compared to 2019, the number of accidents increased 26.3%, the number of
deaths increased 25.1%, and the number of injuries increased 24.7%. - Where cause of death was known, 75% of fatal boating accident victims drowned. Of those drowning victims with reported life jacket usage, 86% were not wearing a life jacket.
- Where length was known, eight out of every ten boaters who drowned were using vessels less than 21 feet in length.
- 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 18% of deaths.
- Where instruction was known, 77% of deaths occurred on boats where the operator did not receive boating safety instruction. Only 12% percent of deaths occurred on vessels where the operator was known to have received a nationally-approved boating safety education certificate.
- There were 247 accidents in which at least one person was struck by a propeller.
- Collectively, these accidents resulted in 39 deaths and 241 injuries.
- Operator inattention, operator inexperience, improper lookout, excessive speed, and machinery failure rank as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents.
- Where data was known, the most common vessel types involved in reported accidents were open motorboats (46%), personal watercraft (22%), and cabin motorboats (13%).
- Where data was known, the vessel types with the highest percentage of deaths were open motorboats (50%), kayaks (15%), and pontoons (9%).
- The 11,838,188 recreational vessels registered by the states in 2020 represent a 0.34% decrease from last year when 11,878,542 recreational vessels were registered.
2020 recreational Boating Accident Executive Summary
