Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Watercraft Accidents Down, Education Up

By JEFF ARNOLD

State and federal officials point to education as a significant factor in the decline of injuries involving personal watercraft in the past several years.

Bob Cushing, boating education coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said accidents involving PWC in Arkansas began to decline after the General Assembly approved legislation regulating operation of PWC in 1999.

The requirements of the 1999 legislation include but aren"t limited to:

• Restricting the operation of PWC by anyone younger than 14 without direct adult supervision.
• Those 12 and 13 years old must have a person at least 18 years old on board, while persons younger than 12 must have someone at least 21 years old on board, and in a position to take immediate control of the vessel.
• Operators are required to wear a Type I, II, III or V personal floatation device.
• Personal watercraft must carry a minimum of $50,000 in liability insurance.
• Weaving through congested traffic and becoming airborne or leaving the water within 100 feet of the vessel creating the wake is prohibited.
• Operating at greater than "slow-no wake" speed within 100 feet of an anchored or moored vessel, shoreline, dock, pier, swim float, marked swim area, swimmer, surfer, person engaged in angling or any manually propelled vessel is prohibited.
• Operating contrary to the "Rules of the Road," or exceeding 10 mph when approaching within 100 feet to the rear or 50 feet to the side of any other vessel which is underway.

Before we passed those laws " we were having a lot of accidents on those things because most people just saw them as toys. But since we have encouraged people to understand they have to follow the rules " we"ve seen a change. The number of accidents has gone down," Cushing said.

In 2001, another change in Arkansas law required anyone born after Jan. 1, 1986, and of legal age to operate a motorboat or PWC to complete an AGFC-approved boating education course and carry proof while operating any motorboat or PWC.

Cushing said the course can be completed in a classroom, online or through a home study course.

Joseph Carro, a recreation boating specialist and state law enforcement liaison for the U.S. Coast Guard, said showing a direct cause and effect between education and fewer PWC accidents might be challenging, but he believes education programs have an impact.

Carro said PWC accidents have declined as more states require mandatory boating education courses.

Changes in PWC design have probably also contributed to fewer accidents, Carro said.

Several years ago, Carro said there was a problem with inexperienced operators not being aware that the steering control of a personal watercraft is only fully engaged as long as the throttle is engaged.

That lack of awareness resulted in operators losing control of their PWC, which accounted for a significant number of accidents as PWC were becoming more popular in the 1990s, Carro said.

To address the "off-throttle steering control" issues, several manufacturers now design PWC with mechanisms to compensate for the loss of steering control when the throttle isn"t engaged, said Maureen Healey, executive director of the Personal Watercraft Industry Association.

Other PWC design changes in recent years that have provided an additional measure of safety include rear-view mirrors, a reverse gear that provides additional maneuverability, and a larger hull, Healey said.

Like Carro and Cushing though, Healey cites the increased emphasis on mandatory boating education as a more significant factor in the decline of PWC accidents and injuries.

A PWC is no different from any other vehicle in the water or on the road, if it?s not operated in the appropriate manner, accidents are going to happen, Healey said.

Reckless, inexperienced and inattentive operators were and are the primary cause for PWC accidents, Healey said..

Cushing agreed that operator error is the primary factor in PWC accidents, whether they fail to maintain a proper distance from other vessels or ride recklessly in a congested area.