[Airwaves]

Originally posted by Evenstar:
I don’t consider Winni to be a very safe place – 222 boating accidents in 6 years on just one lake isn’t what I call safe! (And that number doesn’t even include accidents with less than $2000 damage):

New Hampshire Boating Accidents – Data for years 1999 – 2004:
Lake Winnipesaukee: 222
Lake Winnisquam: 28
Ossipee Lake: 15
Atlantic Ocean: 14
Lake Sunapee: 14
Squam Lake: 10
Merrimack River: 8
Hampton River: 6

“Coast Guard boating records for 1999-2004 list up to three causes for each boating accident. The causes cited in New Hampshire were operator inexperience, a cause of 61 accidents; operator inattention, 59; hazardous waters, 55; no proper lookout, 39; excessive speed, 35; weather, 28; careless/reckless operation, 24; machinery or equipment failure, 23.”
From: http://nh.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?...TDOOR/60203002

That's interesting, but what you quoted was a sidebox from the article. As you well know the article contained the following two paragraphs:

Operator inexperience and inattention easily swamp speeding as a cause of accidents in the state, according to a Telegraph review of the Coast Guard’s Recreational Boating Accident Database for 1999-2004. Inexperience and inattention were blamed for 120 accidents; hazardous waters, 55 accidents; no proper lookout, 39; excessive speed, 35, and the weather, 28.

Boating accidents with injury or serious property damage declined by 68 percent from 1999-2004 in New Hampshire, the records show. The state began mandatory boater education in 2002. Across the nation, boating accidents fell by 38 percent during the same years. Deaths also declined, from six in 1999 to only two in 2004, the latest year available.

and by this quote that you made:

I don’t consider Winni to be a very safe place – 222 boating accidents in 6 years on just one lake isn’t what I call safe!

You totally ignore the fact the boating accidents have declined by 68 percent since 1999, going from a high of 109 in 1999 to 35 in 2004. Every year there was a Decrease in the number of accidents. That fact was also included in the article that you quote but chose to ignore in your post:

The number of reported accidents fell from 109 in 1999 to 94 in 2000, 74 in 2001, 68 in 2002 when mandatory boater education began, 49 in 2003, and 35 in 2004. That’s a decline of 68 percent over five years.

So how does that compare to the rest of the nation? Well the next paragraph in the article that you forgot to quote gives us a clue!

Across the nation, boating accidents fell by 38 percent during the same years, from 7,931 in 1999 to 4,904 in 2004.

You might also note that WEATHER is blamed for nearly as many accidents as excessive speed....so, no boating in bad weather!!!!

So, to recap. Boating accidents since 1999 have DECREASED by 68%. BOATER EDUCATION IS WORKING! So let it work!!!