Causes and prevention of boating fatalities

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2005.03.011Get rights and content

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the causes and prevention of the 333 boating deaths that occurred in Australia over the period 1992–1998. It involved: assessment of the Coroner's findings; review of witness statements, police reports, autopsy findings, search and rescue reports, weather maps and reports; analysis of forensic and scientific data; assessment of photographic evidence; review of other related information. The data were coded according to a recently developed national data standard. It was found that nearly half of the vessels involved had an insufficient number of personal flotation devices for the number of people on board; of all people killed only 9% were wearing them, and survivors were more than two times more likely to have been wearing them. If usage could be increased to 75%, five lives could be saved each year with a cost saving to the Australian community of nearly $8 million. The contribution of alcohol to boating deaths (28% in excess of 0.05 g/100 ml) was similar to its contribution to road deaths. The sequence of events resulting in a boating death was initiated most often by capsize (36%). Capsize was more likely to involve overloading or improper loading, hazardous wind or sea conditions, and dinghies. Twenty-five percent of the vessels involved in fatalities were dinghies and they were more likely to be overloaded, involve capsize, alcohol, and failure to wear a personal flotation device. Fatalities involving personal watercraft were mainly caused by human factors. Boating causes a significant level of harm to the Australian community measured in terms of mortality. This can be reduced by a concerted effort to address the identified hazards and protective factors.

Introduction

In Australia, boating causes more serious injuries (i.e. deaths and hospitalisations combined) than rail and air crashes combined and, as a transport-related activity within the scope of interest of the state and federal transport departments, is second only to motor vehicles as a cause of serious injury (O’Connor, 2002). On average, 80 people die each year and 1000 are admitted to hospital, consuming nearly 4000 hospital bed days (O’Connor, 2002). Using recent estimates (NMSC, 2003), the total serious injury cost is estimated at more than $A 370 million per annum.

Despite the injury harm that boating causes there has never been a comprehensive study of boating deaths in Australia. Indeed there have been few such studies anywhere in the world, with some notable exceptions (MSA, 1999, MSA, 2000, OSMB, 1999, US DOT, 1998). Other recent Australian studies have unfortunately restricted the assessment of boating deaths to those caused by drowning (Driscoll et al., 2003, Bugeja, 2003, Ashby and Cassell, 2004), understating the full extent of boating deaths, particularly those arising directly from blunt and penetrating impacts, and restricting the consideration of the full range of factors involved in boating deaths.

Unlike road and air fatalities, where the contribution of human, vehicle and environmental factors and safety technology has been comprehensively studied over many years, boating fatalities have not often been subjected to in-depth assessment. Some of the causal factors have been studied, for example, the role of alcohol (O’Connor, 2001, Waterways, 1999, MaST, 2000, Warner et al., 2000, Lunetta et al., 1998, Penttila and Pikkarainen, 1990). However, the protective factors have received little attention in the literature. As an illustration, despite a heavy emphasis on life jackets and personal flotation devices (PFDs) in public policy throughout the world, their effectiveness has not been proven.

The poor state of knowledge reflects in part the lack of a data standard focussing on the causal and protective factors. In addition, where fatalities have been studied, non-fatal outcomes in the same events have not been included. Comparison of the factors involved in death and survival in the same incidents would add to an understanding and quantification of the hazards and risk factors.

In Australia, Coroner's data provide the best available source of historical information on boating incidents, including fatal and non-fatal outcomes. This was demonstrated in three recent state-based studies (Waterways, 1999, MaST, 2000, O’Connor, 2001). The aim of the present study was to collate and code the data according to a recently developed national data standard (NMSC, 2000) in order to study the causes and prevention of boating deaths.

Section snippets

Methods

In Australia, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) maintains a mortality unit record data collection. Until recently with the implementation of a national coronial data system, this provided the only means available to identify boating deaths in a nationally consistent format. The cause of each registered death was classified by the ABS according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD: World Health Organization, 1979). All deaths that occurred over the period 1992–1998, coded

Incident details

There were 270 separate fatal boating incidents over the period 1992–1998, involving 288 vessels and resulting in 333 deaths, 168 of which were vessel operators and the remainder other occupants.

Of the vessels involved, the trip purpose was for fishing (48%), a leisure cruise (26%) or some other specified purpose (26%). The most common time of incident was 12 mid-day to 4 p.m. (32%). Seventy-six percent occurred between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

The location of the incident was defined according to the

Discussion

Recreational and commercial boating activity causes a significant level of harm to the Australian community measured in terms of mortality. This can be reduced by a concerted effort to address the hazards and protective factors. The present study identifies and quantifies many of these factors for the first time in the international literature.

Considering protection first, the benefit of PFDs has been shown statistically through a case–control study. The comparison effectively excluded

Acknowledgements

The Coroners in each state approved access to their files and their staff provided assistance with extraction of fatality files. Staff from the marine safety authorities in Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania assisted in copying the files and forwarding them to the authors for coding. Judith Webster, Program Coordinator of the National Marine Safety Committee, assisted with coordination of the study.

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