What's the old adage about liars figure and figures lie. Well, the Coast Guard is finally getting some statistics to show that their boating accident statistics represent only the tip of the iceberg. An operator is required by law to report any accident which results in a loss of life or disappearance, an injury requiring more than first aid, or more than $500 property damage.
There is no incentive to reporting an accident, and most people correctly believe if they fail to report it, less serious but reportable accidents will go unnoticed. However, there is an incentive to recover your loss from your insurance company. Insurance companies have been tight lipped about their records until recently when a government funded study conducted by the Marine Index Bureau collected information from 17 insurance companies. When their statistics were extrapolated to the boating population, it is estimated that there were 170,159 reportable boating accidents in 1993. The Coast Guard records indicated 6,335 accidents actually reported. That means only 3% of the accidents reach the agency that has the responsibility for boating safety. Some of the statistics extracted are:
7,247 injuries vs 3559 reported.
$714 million losses vs $20.2 reported.
Collision with submerged object accounted for 49% of the incidents. Coast Guard figures showed collisions with other vessels accounted for 38% of all accidents, the highest category, with collisions with objects reported at 16%.
Boats 18' long had the highest incident of accidents followed by 16' and then 22' boats.
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