BOSTON — The 1st Coast Guard District has released its 2013 Recreational Boating Statistics Wednesday, revealing that boating fatalities last year totaled 33 — the lowest number of boating fatalities on record.
From 2012 to 2013, deaths in boating-related accidents decreased from 49 to 33.
Where the cause of death was known, out of the 33 deaths, 73 percent were from drowning. In 88 percent of all boating fatalities, victims were not wearing lifejackets, and 21 percent involved alcohol as a contributing factor.
"Decreasing the number of boating fatalities is great news," said Walt Taylor, the 1st Coast Guard District Recreational Boating Safety Specialist. "We encourage boaters to always wear their lifejackets, practice safe, sober boating and being prepared before they go out on the water. As a result, we hope to see that number drop again this year."
The fatality rate for 2013 of 4.7 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels reflected a 13 percent decrease from the previous year's rate of 5.4 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels. Property damage totaled approximately $39 million.
The Coast Guard reminds all boaters to boat responsibly while on the water: always wear a life jacket, take a boating safety course, get a free vessel safety check and never boat under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
To view the 2013 Recreational Boating Statistics for the country, go to http://www.uscgboating.org/assets/1/AssetManager/2013RecBoatingStats.pdf.
For more information on boating safety, go to the Boating Safety Resource Center at http://www.uscgboating.org.