"N.H. among worst for boating accidents"

[jeffk]

Once again the total of something obscures the valuable information that comprises it.

Numbers for 2002 2004 2006
Capsizing 6 4 9
CO2 x 0 0
Collision Fixed object 11 2 9
Collision floating object 3 0 1
Collision vessel 17 11 8
Departed vessel x 0 2
Ejected from vessel x 1 2
Falls within boat 4 5 6
falls on PWC x 1 7
Falls overboard 3 0 0
Fire fuel 0 0 1
Fire other 0 0 4
Flooding/swamping 2 0 0
grounding 0 3 2
not reported x 0 0
other 1 0 2
sinking 0 0 2
skier mishap 18 1 22
struck by boat 2 2 0
struck by motor 1 2 0
struck submerged object 0 3 2

Total accidents 68 35 79

(Please pardon the compression of the numbers in the table.)

Observations:
The major contributors to increased accidents in 2006 are capsizing, falls on PWCs, fires, and skier mishaps.
The number of collisions with other vessels and being struck by a boat or motor is declining significantly.
The best year for accidents, 2004, was because there were few (2) collisions with fixed objects (Was that the year they took all the rocks out of the lake and bubble wrapped the islands? I forget?), and only 1 skier mishap was reported (Can you believe that? 18 to 1 to 22?)

The fear of high speed boats is that they will HIT other boats. Boat collisions are half of what they were in 2002.

Capsizing is much more common for smaller boats and 2006 was one of the flood years when some "adventurers" unsuccessfully tried going into flood swollen rivers. It happened again this spring on the Merrimack.

Falls on PWCs might be speed related but it's not too hard to get banged up if you hit waves or wake wrong or turn too sharply.

I find it quite a reach to attribute fires and skier mishaps to high boat speed and if you want to limit skier speeds to "protect" them then we can start banning snow skiing, mountain hiking, ice climbing, and a bunch of other activities.

Where's the speed limit beef?

If we want fewer accidents lets ban water skiing, require outrigger pontoons on all canoes and kayaks, and bubble wrap all docks. That should cut the accident numbers in half.