[Psml] Boating accidents

[Phil Arcuni]

Accidents have been sort of flat for the last few years. Statistics are only 
useful when one has all the numbers. If a very large percentage of 
"captains" have no formal training (as I suspect), this little piece of data 
could be good news, rather than bad. While I have always wanted to believe 
that classes prevent accidents, I asked the USCG for hard data as long as 
ten years ago, and still I have not seen it. Perhaps it is not available 
with any degree of statistical reliability.

Nearly a ago a 13 year old in Key West ran into an anchored boat of 
snorkelers, which had a flag up and was in open water. One snorkel was 
killed, and the boater left the scene because his passenger was also 
injured. He had a Florida Operator's Permit, but they are easy to get 
without taking a formal class. I know he did not take the USPS class, and 
suspect that he did not take the Auxiliary class. The youngster is in 
long-term detention and the last I heard, there is a law suit pending.

Does possession of a state-issued permit assume formal training? Not 
necessarily in Florida, where anyone can pickup a free state manual, tear 
out the last page, fill in the exam, mail it in, and receive an Operators 
Permit (required only for anyone under 22 years old) by return mail.

R/C Phil Arcuni, SN
Key West
Past SEO and DEO

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <uspsd3ronf at aol.com>
To: <plarcuni at sprynet.com>
Cc: "United States Power Squadrons Mailing List" <psml at usps.org>
Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2007 3:40 PM
Subject: [Psml] Boating accidents


> Quoted from The Boston Globe in "The Week" magazine, 31 August:
> "Boating accidents are on the rise across the country, as 'captains' with 
> more? money than skill take the helm of powerful motorboats. In 2006, 70 
> percent of the 710 boaters killed were on vessels whose captains had no 
> formal training."
> I'm guessing that this information came from the most recent USCG report 
> on boating safety.
> P/D/C Ron Friedmann, AP
> D3