FWC REMINDS BOATERS SAFE BOATING IS A YEAR-ROUND PRACTICE

May / 2005
CONTACT: Willie Puz, (561) 625-5122 x105

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wants boaters to boat safe this holiday weekend and extra law enforcement officers will be on the water to help that happen.

Palm Beach County had the second highest number of boating accidents in 2004, and this year there have been many fatalities on the water. The FWC says keeping three key messages in mind can dramatically decrease your chances of getting into an accident, and increase your chances of survival if you do:

1. Stay alert
2. Wear your life jacket
3. Don’t drink and operate a boat

Collisions with vessels or fixed objects are the two leading types of accidents, accounting for nearly half of the mishaps on Florida’s waterways. FWC Major Brett Norton says this reflects the importance of staying alert.

“One of the biggest misconceptions people have about boating accidents is thinking that they are caused by extremely reckless operators, but when you look at the numbers you see that it comes down to boat operators not paying attention or making one simple, careless mistake,” Norton said. “We want people to go out and have a good time, but we also have to make sure they understand that if they lose focus, even for an instant, something really bad can happen on the water.”

Not wearing a life jacket and alcohol consumption are the two major contributors to fatal accidents. In 2004, almost one-third of the fatal accidents were classified as “falls overboard,” and drowning was the cause of death in 65 percent of those fatalities. Most were not wearing their lifejackets at the time. And alcohol consumption was the primary cause of 21 percent of boating deaths.

Boating Accident Facts:

In 2003, Florida led the nation in boating deaths with 64.

In 2004:

Visit MyFWC.com/law/boating/ to get boating-accident statistics.

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