Update from the USCG Office of Boating Safety. Speaker: Verne Gifford, U.S. Coast Guard, Chief, Boating Safety Division (CG-BSX-2)

1. Boating Safety Division Update
Life Jacket Association
Annual Meeting
Verne Gifford
Chief, Boating Safety Division
United States Coast Guard

2. Annual Recreational Boating Statistics
•USCGboating.org 
Statistics 
Accident Statistics
= OOA June 1st

3. What’s In Each Report?
•Executive Summary
•Accident Causes
•Accident Types
•Operator / Passenger Information
•Casualty Summary Data
•Registration Data

4. The Top Two Known
Causes of Death:
a. Drowning
b. Carbon Monoxide
c. Trauma
d. Hypothermia
e. Cardiac Arrest

5. Percentage of Deaths By Drowning
and PFD Wear Percentage of Victims
70 71
77 78
76
80
76 77
79
75
84 85 84 84 85
83 84.584
86 86
65
70
75
80
85
90
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Drowning No PFD

6. Summer Deaths (J, J, A)
316
283
242
251
290
288
278
249
265
243
268
286
247
293
274
219
243
241
286
260
245
247
321
200
220
240
260
280
300
320
340
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020

7. Deaths By Year
758
651
560
610626
701
658
633
613
767
500
550
600
650
700
750
800
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

8. Motorboat and Paddlecraft
Deaths By Year
497
443
369 372 400
457 420 421 408
542
186
127 144 167 163 184 169 154 155 184
758
651
560
610 626
701 658 633 613
767
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Power Paddle Overall Deaths

9. Open Motorboat, PWC, Pontoon, and
Cabin Motorboat Deaths By Year
374
286 272 282 285
323
305 311
288
376
44
58
36 34
33 46
46 42
46
66
32 44 36
17
46
47
33 35
40
67
47 55
25
39 36 41 36 33 34 33
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Open PWC Pontoon Cabin

10. Canoe, Kayak, SUP and Rowboat
Deaths By Year
66
52 55
75
68
63
44 44
39 42
68
50 54
58
71
89
94
84 86
112
52
23
30 32
17 17 20 21 18 20
0 3 5 2
7
15 11
5
12 10
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Canoe Kayak Rowboat SUP

11. Auxiliary Sailboat, Sailboat Only, Sailboat
Unknown Deaths and Injuries by Year
28 27
19
27 24
15 18 15 18
7
77
84 82 79
55
76
63 68
74
41
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Deaths Injuries

12. Deaths By Boat Rental Status
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000
Rented
Not Rented
Unknown
2020 2019

13. Reportable and included
Deaths Injuries
Towed watersports 2 98
Voluntary departures (u/w) 51 4
Natural phenomena < 1 5
Vessel-use exceptions 4 9

14. Not reportable and excluded
Deaths Injuries Incidents
Injuries (excludes observation) 75
Damages (no labor/personal
prop)
17
Private waters 17 5
Self-inflicted emergencies
Assaults
Departure from shore
Medical emergencies 15 6

15. Deaths Injuries Incidents
Prop dock/moor - maintenance
Launching/recovery
Trailer failures
U/W storm/tidal conditions
Non-vessels 1 1
Vessel-use exceptions
Boarding/departing dock/moor
Not reportable and excluded

16. Wear Rate Observational Study
•USCGboating.org 
Statistics 
National Life Jacket Wear
Rate Observational
Study
= OOA June 1st

17. Adult Life Jacket Wear Rate
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
All Adults Adult Sail Adult Paddle Adult Motor

18. NBSAC
“BEE-sack”

19. Resolutions -> Recommendations
•NBSAC authored and approved
•Whereas “whereas” is not widely
used, it will be removed
•13 renewed

20. NBSAC Recommendation 2022-03-01
•Initiate a future regulatory project
•Consult the public
•Streamline life jacket testing
•Consider accepting harmonization

21. National Recreational Boating Safety
(RBS) Program Strategic Plan
•______________  About  Strategic Plan
•National On-Water Standards
•Developed by National Boating
Safety Advisory Committee (NBSAC)

22. 2022-2026
National Recreational Boating Safety (RBS)
Program Strategic Plan
•Under development
•Reviewing NBSAC recommendations
•StrategicPlanRecBoatingSafety
@uscg.mil

23. The NRBSS Included Two Surveys
• Participation
• National
• Quarterly
• 5K responses
• 13-Page Survey Instrument
• 73-Page Survey Report
• Exposure
• By State
• Monthly
• 30K total responses, but needed to reach State totals
• 14-Page Survey Instrument
• 131-Page Survey Report

24. Boat owner?
5 in Household:
Gender?
Age?
Relation?
Hispanic?
Race?
Employment?
Income?
Marital Status?
Registered?
Documented?
Unregistered?
For up to 6 boats:
Length?
Type?
Registered?
Documented?
Owner?
> 3 Mi in 12Mo?
Stored?
State?
Zip Code?
Operational?
For up to 6 boats:
Days U/W?
Days You O/B?
Trailered there?
How many times
/ day?
Hours U/W?
Which State?
Body of Water?
You on Last
Outing?
$1
Y
or
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
N
N
N
Name
and
Email?
Reported?
Injuries or
Damage?
Casualty
and Type?
U/W?
You
Operate?
$10
Record
Record
Record Y Y
For up to 6 boats:
Did you operate?
Your Yrs of
Experience on Boat?
Your Yrs of
Experience on Boat
Type?
Persons 12 Yrs -?
Persons 13 Yrs +?
Life Jacket for Each?
Wearing Life Jacket
Entire Time?
Activities?
EPIRB?
PLB?
ECOS?
VHF-DSC Radio?
Y
or
N

25. Boat? 5 in Household:
Gender?
Age?
Relation?
Hispanic?
Race?
Employment?
Income?
Marital Status?
How Many
Days?
Household
Count?
By Household
Member:
Who boated?
By Household
Member:
Why Not Boat?
6 Boats:
Length?
Boat Type?
Registered?
State?
Documented?
Who Owns?
How Many Boats
Owned?
$10
$1
Y
Y
Y
Y N
N
N
N
By Household
Member:
Days Boating?
Activities?
Boat Types?
Ownership?
Operator?
How often Life
Jacket worn?
When Boating
Safety Course?
Anyone
Boat?
Own a
Boat?
Name
and
Email?

26. National Recreational
Boating Safety Survey
•NRBSS kick-off: Request for pre-solicitation technical
papers
• Summer 2022: CG-BSX plans for grantee to start work on survey
• 2022-2023: OMB/OIRA Paperwork Reduction Act clearance
•ERAC Webinars: May 10 and 12
• Goal: Educate states about the NRBSS
•Questions and Feedback? Jonathan.C.Hsieh2@uscg.mil

27. State Enforcement Data
Year Citations Warnings Total Stops Rate
2021 13,605 22,062 35,667 1,183K 3.0%
2020 14,133 21,187 35,320 1,216K 2.9%
2019 14,155 22,397 36,552 1,201K 3.0%

28. PFD Wear
• Analysis on Nature of Drownings
• Analysis of Operator and Victim
BAC for Drownings
• Enforcement Tactics to
Encourage PFD Wear

29. ROUPV
•90 days versus 360 days
•15 or 30 days in the Restricted Route
•Age of 17 (16 for Family-Owned Business)
•Reduced Exam
•Drug Test
•TWIC Enrollment
•CPR/First Aid Course

30. Engine Cut-Off Switch (ECOS) Link
Wear Requirement, 46 USC §4312
1. On a recreational vessel AND
2. Less than 26 feet AND
3. Has a motor capable of 115 pounds of static thrust
(3 HP) AND
4. On plane or above displacement speed AND
5. Equipped with an ECOS OR Built after
12/4/2019

31. Fire Protection Final Rule
•Effective 20 Apr 2022
•FAQs

32. UCOTA-V
•NPRM comment period closed
22 Nov 2021
•State outreach
•Committee involvement

33. uscgboating.org
•Fed Regs Publication
•FAQs
•Grant products