U.S. COAST GUARD 2017 RECREATIONAL BOATING STATISTICS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2017, the Coast Guard counted 4,291
accidents that involved 658 deaths, 2,629
injuries and approximately $46 million of
damage to property as a result of recreational
boating accidents.
The fatality rate was 5.5 deaths per
100,000 registered recreational vessels. This
rate represents a 6.8% decrease from the
2016 fatality rate of 5.9 deaths per 100,000
registered recreational vessels.
Compared to 2016, the number of
accidents decreased 3.9%, the number of
deaths decreased 6.1%, and the number of
injuries decreased 9.4%.
Where cause of death was known, 76% of
fatal boating accident victims drowned. Of
those drowning victims with reported life
jacket usage, 84.5% were not wearing a life
jacket.
Where boat length was known, eight out
of every ten boaters who drowned were using
vessels less than 21 feet in length.
Alcohol use is the leading known
contributing factor in fatal boating accidents;
where the primary cause was known, it was
listed as the leading factor in 19% of deaths.
Where instruction was known, 81%
of deaths occurred on boats where the
operator did not receive boating safety
instruction. Only 14% percent of deaths
occurred on vessels where the operator had
received a nationally-approved boating
safety education certificate.
There were 172 accidents in which at
least one person was struck by a propeller.
Collectively, these accidents resulted in 31
deaths and 162 injuries.
Operator inattention, improper lookout,
operator inexperience, machinery failure,
and alcohol use rank as the top five primary
contributing factors in accidents.
Where data was known, the most
common vessel types involved in reported
accidents were open motorboats (46%),
personal watercraft (18%), and cabin
motorboats (16%).
Where data was known, the vessel types
with the highest percentage of deaths were
open motorboats (47%), kayaks (15%), and
personal watercraft (7%).
The 11,961,568 recreational vessels
registered by the states in 2017 represent
a 0.84% increase from last year when
11,861,811 recreational vessels were
registered.