Understanding the most common boating accidents and injuries can help you to enjoy your boat safely. Many people are enjoying their boats already this year. Many more will be on the water soon. Boat owners are required to know the Virginia boating laws and regulations. (Official Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries boating license course. Get Certified)
In this post, we want to take a look at recreational boating.
2019 Virginia Boating Incident Summary *produced by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF):
- Number of Incidents = 89
- Number of Vessels Involved = 94
- Number of Injuries = 35
- Number of Fatalities = 20
- Alcohol was a known factor in 20% of fatal incidents.
- Paddlecraft (canoes and kayaks) were involved in 10% of fatal incidents.
- In 95% of fatal incidents no life jacket was worn
- Property Damage = $572,456
* reported to DGIF
At first glance, the numbers of incidents seem relatively small (compared to vehicle crashes). What is remarkable is the number of injuries and fatalities relative to the number of incidents. Each of the 55 killed or injured in boating accidents is a person whose life is changed as a result of the incident.
