U.S. Coast Guard released their annual 2018 recreational boating accident statistics report on 26 August 2019.
Total counts for 2018 Coast Guard Boating Accident Report Database (BARD) reported accidents, injuries, and fatalities were down compared to 2017.
2018 USCG BARD reported accident statistics were 4145 accidents, 2,511 injuries, and 633 fatalities.
2017 USCG stats were 4,291 accidents, 2629 injuries, and 658 fatalities.
For 2018 USCG reported 177 propeller accidents, 177 injuries, and 25 fatalities.
2017 USCG stats were 172 propeller accidents, 162 propeller injuries, and 31 fatalities.
Thanks to all those at USCG whose efforts helped make this annual statistical report of boating accidents possible.
We would also like to thank USCG, law enforcement officials, lake patrols, first responders, nurses and physicians, those offering boating safety classes, boat safety equipment check points, safe boaters, state boating law administrators, life jacket loaner program participants, Operation Dry Water, those spreading boating safety messages, and all others who work tirelessly to drive these annual totals down.
Plus thanks to all the state boating law administrators and all the officers in the field filling out the accident reports, and to the individuals that self reported their accidents.
Our June 2019 post, Kali’s Law: Misleading Fatality Statistics explained in detail how the media is publishing misleading boating fatality statistics surrounding Kali’s Law.
Kali’s law will require the use of kill switch lanyards on certain power boats under 26 feet beginning September 1st, 2019 in the State of Texas.
Texas media outlets continue to vastly over estimate the number of boating fatalities per year that will be prevented by this law.
For example, today, 22 September 2019, CBS Austin posted a story titled, “‘Kali’s Law’ goes into effect Sep. 1st, aims to cut down on deaths from boating accidents”. Portions of that article are copied below.
Kali’s Law CBS Austin report 22 August 2019
As seen in the article, CBS Austin says if Kali’s Law had been in effect in Texas in 2018, instead of 29 fatal boating accidents, they would have only had 3.
That is a gross misstatement of facts. Read More →
Royal Yachting Association (RYA) of the United Kingdom (UK) released a great “wear your kill switch lanyard / kill cord” Public Service Announcement (PSA) August 6, 2019.
In the UK kill switch lanyards are referred to as “kill cords”.
The phrase Virtual Propeller Guard broadly refers to methods used to detect the presence or likely presence of people or objects in the water that may be struck by or pulled into a boat propeller. Long ago we posted a more concise definition of Virtual Propeller Guards.
With increasing activity in the use of sensors to detect people at risk of being struck by a boat propeller we decided to try to bring most of the relevant patents on the topic together in one location.
In the instance of this post, we will only be referring to patented approaches using sensors to detect the presence of people in the water at the stern / behind the transom of a recreational boat. Those in the water may include swimmers, floaters, those on tubes, those on or at the swim ladder, water skiers, wake boarders, wake surfers, those standing in shallow water near the vessel, those riding a PWC, those in a Kayak or Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP), people being rescued, or any other conveyance or activity that may place people in the water behind the stern of a recreational power boat within a distance of about 10 feet of the boat propeller. Patents listed below may not cover the entire range of applications or distance described above.
The Volvo Penta image below is an example of these types of patents.
We continue to salute Brunswick for their efforts to detect people in the water near a recreational boat.
Basics of the Patent
U.S. Patent 10,372,976 Person Detection in a Marine Environment invented by Troy Kollmann and Jon Nowick, assigned to Brunswick issued on 6 August 2019.
The patent’s first claim describes detecting people in the water near vessels (1) using at least one image sensor, (2) that “at least one image sensor” detects visible light, (3) that “at least one image sensor” is at at angle and distance to the water at the rear of the vessel, (4) the images are scanned to detect the presence or absence of a person, (5) the scanning module includes an Artificial Neural Network (ANN), (6) that ANN being trained to detect patterns within the image associated with a person in the water behind the vessel, (7) the system outputs detective information regarding the presence or absence of a person in the image, (7) wherein the ANN module is trained using positive and negative images of objects in the water from a similar viewpoint and distance at the stern.
U.S. Patent 10,372,976 Person Detection in a Marine Environment
The 2018 USCG reauthorization bill as passed requires engine cut off switches (kill switches to prevent the Circle of Death) be installed in most recreational power boats less than 26 feet in length.
The 2019 USCG reauthorization bill as it has passed the House (HR 3409) required mandatory kill switch wear on recreational power boats less than 26 feet in length when underway if a kill switch is present.
Per the National Marine Manufacturer’s Association (NMMA) the bill would also “grant the Coast Guard “equivalency” authority, allowing the Coast Guard to streamline approval of the recreational boating industry construction standards and new technologies, while maintaining the highest level of safety.”
Currently, and historically USCG requirements pertaining to boat building and boating safety that are codified into Federal Regulations are sometimes dated (old and no longer represent current practices), plus they may not specially allow the use of more modern technologies that have since become available. It takes considerable effort and time to change Federal Regulations. Plus in the current environment it has become even more challenging. It sounds like this part of the legislation may help with these problems.
This bill will still have to pass through the Senate, likely require being resolved between the two houses, and be signed by the President of the United States. Read More →
Michael Broussard was bass fishing on Toledo Bend Reservoir with his father in 2018. Michael was operating the boat and failed to connect his kill switch lanyard.
In April 2019 he posted an on vessel video of the event in multiple resolutions on YouTube.
We are sorry to learn of the passing of Rex Chambers, well known professional bass fisherman. He spoke out about outboard motors breaking off and flipping into boats after his May 2014 accident on Lake Wheeler in Alabama. In that accident, his 250 horsepower Mercury outboard came in on him and Danny Pettus. Both men were seriously injured but survived. Rex shared his personal experiences in that accident in his his 19 May 2014 column in the Cullman Times titled, Outdoors: A Brush With Death on Lake Wheeler. His article raised awareness of the existence of these accidents.
Kali Gorzell was a beautiful, enthusiastic, young woman when she was stuck and killed by a boat propeller 20 July 2012. There was a tremendous outpouring of love from her classmates and her community near San Antonio Texas.
The boat operator was turning, the flats boat quickly “swapped ends” (spun 180 degrees), the operator was thrown from the helm, Kali was ejected and struck by the propeller. Family members suggested that if the boat operator had been wearing a kill switch lanyard, Kali may not have been struck and killed by the boat propeller.
Since then, her parents and family have promoted legislation, now referred to as Kali’s Law, requiring boat operators of certain recreational boats to attach kill switch lanyards when underway. The family’s early efforts failed, but at this moment (early June 2019), the bill has passed both houses and is on the Governor of Texas’ desk awaiting his signature.
We salute the family’s efforts and were touched by the passing of their daughter.
What is Wrong With the Statistics Being Used?
Current media coverage of the proposed rule (Kali’s Law) cites a 2009 U.S. Coast Guard study and reports that study as saying that if all boat operators were wearing kill switch lanyards, 89 percent of ALL boating fatalities would have been prevented.
Data in the Coast Guard study cited by the media actually points to about a 2.5 percent reduction in total U.S. Coast Guard Boating Accident Report Database (BARD) reported boating fatalities. We present those findings in detail below.
Family’s who have lost loved ones or had them maimed by propellers of unmanned boats in the Circle of Death want to prevent others from suffering similar injuries. They also want the establishment (Coast Guard, state legislatures, and the boating industry) to take action on the issue.
On the other hand, thousands of boaters cite their right to freedom on the water, similar to motorcycle riders objecting to wearing helmets.
As a result, mandatory wear has become a very emotionally charged issue.
Our Position on Kali’s Law
We have remained neutral on the issue of mandatory wear of kill switch lanyards, largely because the issue is so emotionally charged. Both sides have the right to be heard.
With plenty other issues on the table needing our attention, we have purposefully avoided this one (mandatory wear). We have elected to chug along encouraging the wearing of kill switch lanyards while letting others debate mandatory wear.
Our Mission & Boating Accident Statistics
One of our missions is to make sure statistical accident data put forward by the boating industry, the Coast Guard, or others is accurate. While we may not agree with the actual numbers presented, we at least try to make sure the data attributed to some resource, such as the U.S. Coast Guard, is in fact the data it is purported to be. Read More →
