AVOID COMMON
MISHAPS ON BOAT
TRIPS

What are
the most
common
mishaps
on
boats?
The leading known factor in fatal boat
accidents and the main cause of all
known deaths is alcohol consumption,
which accounts for 23% of all deaths
The length of the boat is also well
known: eight out of ten boaters
drowned on a ship less than 21 feet
long
Alcohol consumption ranked last in the
top five in terms of the number of
accidents caused , at 6%

STATISTICS

Alcohol
Consumption
Driver Inattention
The three most common causes of boating accidents in the
United States are driver inattention, driver inexperience and
improper supervision
Safety experts say accidents can also occur due to machine
failures and boaters going overboard to troubleshoot
Propeller injuries can happen, and accidents can happen
when the boat is hit by a solid object that collides with another
ship, causing the boat and passengers to go overboard
Hundreds of accidents on charter boats have resulted in
serious injuries and even deaths at sea
Injuries and deaths caused by improper operation of the boat,
resulting in collisions and grounding

Driver Inattention
• Inexperienced boaters: Younger boaters require
mandatory boatmaster training, but older boaters do not
need to complete the course to steer a boat
• Boat Capsizing
• Young Boaters
• Life Jackets
• Boat Collisions
• Rocks
• Speed
• Improper sightings
• Slipping

Followin
g The
Rules
The US Coast Guard estimates that 70% of boat accidents
are caused by operator errors
the second most common cause of boating accidents in
the United States was improper sightings, which caused
506 accidents in 2019, injuring 425 people and killing
The first and most common cause of boat accidents is
some kind of collision
The risk of slipping and falling is one of the most common
accidents that occur on a ship’s deck
One of the most common ways for a boat to sink is if the
bilge pump or its floating switch is contaminated with grit
and dirt