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Florida's "high season" for tourists is mid-October through mid-April.  The influx of visitors seeking the warm climate and beautiful beaches, added to the year-round population, means even more boat traffic on Florida's waters.  Florida is the national leader in annual boating fatalities.

The U. S. Coast Guard's Boat Responsibility Recreational Boating Statistics 2011  Executive Summary states: 

•  In 2011, the Coast Guard counted 4,588 accidents that involved 758 deaths, 3081 injuries and approximately $52 million dollars of damage to property as a result of recreational boating accidents.

•  The fatality rate was 6.2 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels.  This rate represents a 14.8% increase from last year’s fatality rate of 5.4 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels.

•  Seventy (70) percent of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and of those, eighty-four (84) percent were not reported as wearing a life jacket.

•  Only eleven percent of deaths occurred on boats where the operator had received boating safety instruction.  Only seven percent of deaths occurred on vessels where the operator had received boating safety instruction from a NASBLA-approved course provider.

•  Eight out of every ten boaters who drowned were using vessels less than 21 feet in length.

•  Operator inattention, improper lookout, operator inexperience, excessive speed, and machinery failure rank as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents. 

•  Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents; it was listed as the leading factor in 16% of the deaths.

•  Fifteen children under age thirteen lost their lives while boating in 2011.  Sixty (60) percent of the children who died in 2011 died from drowning.  Seventy-eight (78) percent of those who drowned were wearing a life jacket as required by state and federal law.

•  The most common types of vessels involved in reported accidents were open motorboats (47%), personal watercraft (19%), and cabin motorboats (14%). 

•  The 12,173,935 recreational vessels registered by the states in 2011 represent a 2.1% decrease from last year when 12,438,926 recreational vessels were registered.

"The statistics are staggering.  As Boating Accident Injury Attorneys, we recommend reviewing the information on the following websites to help prevent boating accidents and deaths before they happen." says Attorney Randall Spivey, Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.

American Canoe Safety Association Top 10 Tips for Canoeists

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Dangers of BUI (Boating Under the Influence)

Wearing a Life Jacket

Float Planning

Accident Reporting

 Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Civil Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by less than 2 percent of Florida attorneys. He has handled over 1,500 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida. For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at  239. 337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839, or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com  for more information. You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.