F PB98-917002 NTSB/SS-98/01 NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 20594 SAFETY STUDY PERSONAL WATERCRAFT SAFETY 7002 National Transportation Safety Board. 1998. Personal watercraft safety. Safety Study NTSB/SS-98/01. Washington, DC. 98 p. Personal watercraft (PWC) are a type of recreational boat that has become increasingly popular in recent years. Manufacturers estimate that about 200,000 PWC are sold each year and that more than 1 million are in current operation. Although the overall number of re- creational boating fatalities has been declining in recent years, the number of personal watercraft-related fatalities has been increasing. PWC are the only type of recreational vessel for which the leading cause of fatalities is not drowning; in PWC fatalities, more persons die from blunt force trauma than from drowning. The National Transportation Safety Board initiated this study to more closely examine fatalities and injury in addition to accident characteristics associated with PWC accidents. The study was not designed to estimate how often PWC accidents occur, nor are the results of the study necessarily representative of all PWC accidents. The Safety Board analyzed 814 (one-third) of the 1997 reported accidents and examined all of the data for the 1996 reported accidents, which the Board believes provided a substantial number of accidents to identify the most important safety issues associated with PWC accidents. The safety issues discussed in the report include (a) protecting PWC riders from injury; (b) PWC operator experience and training; and (c) boating safety standards. The study also addressed the need for recreational boating exposure data. Safety recommendations concerning these issues were made to the manufacturers of PWC, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, the U.S. Power Squadrons, BOAT/U.S., the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, the Personal Watercraft Industry Association, and the States and Territories. The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent Federal agency dedicated to promoting aviation, rail- road, highway, marine, pipeline, and hazardous materials safety. Established in 1967, the agency is mandated by Congress through the Independent Safety Board Act of 1974 to investigate transportation accidents, determine the probable causes of the accidents, issue safety recommendations, study transportation safety issues, and evaluate the safety effectiveness of government agencies involved in transportation. The Safety Board makes public its actions and decisions through accident reports, safety studies, special investigation reports, safety recommendations, and statistical reviews. Information about available publications may be obtained by contacting: National Transportation Safety Board Public Inquiries Section, RE-51 490 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20594 (202)314-6551 Safety Board publications may be purchased, by individual copy or by subscription, from the National Technical Information Service. To purchase this publication, order report number PB98-917002 from: National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, Virginia 22161 (703)605-6000 Personal Watercraft Safety Safety Study NTSB/SS-98/01 PB98-917002 Notation 7002 May 19, 1998 National Transportation Safety Board 490 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20594 Contents iii Contents Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... v Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 Personal Watercraft .................................................................................................................................. 6 Operating Characteristics of Personal Watercraft...................................................................................... 9 Purpose of the Study................................................................................................................................11 Chapter 2: Methods and Accident Results............................................................................ 13 Methods ................................................................................................................................................. 13 Accident Results..................................................................................................................................... 16 Type of Accident ............................................................................................................................ 16 Number of Vessels Involved ........................................................................................................... 18 Accident Cause .............................................................................................................................. 18 Speed ............................................................................................................................................. 20 Alcohol Involvement in PWC Accidents ........................................................................................ 21 Age of Operator ............................................................................................................................. 21 Operator Experience and Training ................................................................................................. 22 Persons On Board .......................................................................................................................... 23 Riding Time That Day ................................................................................................................... 23 Chapter 3: PWC Operations...................................................................................................... 27 PWC Operator Experience and Education/Training................................................................................ 27 Experience of Operators Who Rented PWC............................................................................................ 33 State Operating Restrictions ................................................................................................................... 36 Minimum Operator Age................................................................................................................. 36 Distance Restrictions...................................................................................................................... 38 Personal Flotation Devices ..................................................................................................................... 38 Chapter 4: Injury Analysis......................................................................................................... 41 Injury Coding......................................................................................................................................... 41 Injured Persons....................................................................................................................................... 42 Fatalities ................................................................................................................................................ 42 Types of Injuries..................................................................................................................................... 43 Lower Extremity Injuries................................................................................................................ 45 Head Injuries.................................................................................................................................. 46 Spinal Injuries................................................................................................................................ 48 Protecting PWC Riders From Injury ....................................................................................................... 49 Chapter 5: Boating Safety Standards ..................................................................................... 51 Coast Guard Exemptions........................................................................................................................ 51 Industry Standards ................................................................................................................................. 52 Discussion.............................................................................................................................................. 53 iv Contents Conclusions........................................................................................................................................56 Recommendations ...........................................................................................................................57 Appendixes ........................................................................................................................................61 A: State Definitions of Personal Watercraft..........................................................................................61 B: Summary of NASBLA 1997 Survey on PWC..................................................................................65 C: Preliminary Data on 1997 PWC Fatalities.......................................................................................72 D: Summary of Data Sources Provided