Editing Boating (section)

==Safety==
Since it is a recreational activity, most boating is done in calm protected waters and during good weather. Even so, conditions can change rapidly, and a small vessel can get into life-threatening difficulties. It's important to keep an inventory of safety gear on board every boat, which is prescribed by the U.S. Coast Guard as well as state boating law administrators in the U.S. Depending on the size of the boat and how it is powered, required equipment may include:
[[File:A sailor who checks the weather before sailing.jpg|thumb|Sailor equipped with a personal flotation device]]
* personal flotation devices or life jackets for everyone on board
* a throwable flotation device (in the U.S., a type IV personal flotation device)
* navigation lights suitable for the type of boat operation
* visual distress signals which are effective both day and night
* sound-making devices including horns and bells
* fire {{Not a typo|extinguisher(s)}}
* a copy of the Inland Rules of the Road
* a VHF or long range radio
Other items might seem obvious but are not actually required by law. They include a flashlight, first aid kit, paddles, whistles, anchor and rope, engine spare parts, bilge pumps, a VHF radio or mobile phone, etc.

In addition to these safety items listed above, the Code of Federal Regulations lists some additional required items that may not fall into the common definition of "safety" items:
* backfire arresters on gasoline-powered vessels
* ventilation systems on gasoline-powered vessels
* plaques which list the penalties associated with pollution due to oil discharge, or dumping trash overboard
* a marine sanitation system ([[marine sanitation device]]) which prevents water pollution from sewage

State laws may add to this list of requirements. Most of the differences fall into a few categories:
* laws requiring life jackets to be worn in specific activities or by children
* upgraded life jackets for specific activities or by children
* restrictions on the types of marine sanitation devices that are allowed within state borders

In the United States, more than 40 states have educational requirements for operating a boat or personal watercraft on state waters. Laws vary by state so it's best to check the laws of your state. Boater education courses can be taken in-person classroom style or online at the student's convenience. Credible courses are recognized by the US Coast Guard, approved by NASBLA and work in conjunction with state agencies.

All pleasure craft operators in Canada are required to have a proof of competency (something that shows they understand the basic rules and how to safely operate a boat). A Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) is the most common proof of competency and it can be obtained by taking an online course and a Transport Canada exam.

[[Image:Life vest.jpg|thumb|right|Commercial fisherman wearing a personal flotation device with pockets among other safety equipment. Likely pocket contents: A whistle (on the lanyard, left side), dye packet, shark repellent, strobe light and [[pen knife]]. A mini-flare is clipped to the 'vest' on the user's left lapel.]]

===Personal flotation devices===
Recreational boating deaths could be dramatically reduced with increased use of [[personal flotation device]]s or life jackets. Wear rates in 2003 were around 22.4%,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/pfd.htm |title=National PFD Wear Rate Observational Study |access-date=May 22, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060509023103/http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/pfd.htm |archive-date=May 9, 2006 }}</ref> although state and federal laws requiring children to wear flotation were more common, and therefore children's wear rates were much higher than those for adults. Relatively few children die in boating accidents; the more likely victim is an adult male in the mid-afternoon in a boat (under 20 feet length overall) who is not wearing a personal flotation device.

While various strategies have been devised in the last few decades to increase personal flotation device wear rates, the observed rate has been relatively constant. This has led to the possibility of legislation requiring personal flotation device usage on boats under a specified length when underway.

Personal watercraft<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pwia.org|title=Home|author=NMMA}}</ref> have increased in popularity for the last 15 years, and account for about 70 fatalities per year (2002). However, operators of personal watercraft commonly wear personal flotation devices, and therefore have a relatively low incidence of drowning. Trauma, largely due to collisions with other vessels and the shoreline, accounts for 70% of personal watercraft fatalities while drowning accounts for about 30%.

Personal flotation device types as defined by the U.S. Coast Guard such as Type I, Type II, Type III, Type IV, and Type V can be found at the U.S. Coast Guard.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uscgboating.org/safety/fedreqs/equ_pfd.htm |title=Personal Flotation Devices (PFD) |access-date=July 21, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070718122723/http://uscgboating.org/safety/fedreqs/equ_pfd.htm |archive-date=July 18, 2007 }}</ref> In the U.S., one personal flotation device MUST be available for everyone on board. Life jacket definitions for the UK Coast Guard.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-guidance-regulation/mcga-guidance_regulations-inland/dqs_iw_code/dqs_lsa_cat_c_code.htm|title=Inland waterways: categorisation of waters}}</ref> In 2014, the U.S. Coast Guard announced a new labeling system for personal flotation devices, aiming to align US and Canadian standards. This new labeling system is now being introduced as the older type I-V personal flotation device labels are being phased out.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-05 |title=Life Jacket Types and Designs |url=https://driveaboatusa.com/blog/life-jacket-types/ |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=Drive a Boat USA |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Drowning===
{{See also|Man overboard}}
In the United States, approximately 700 people die every year as a result of recreational boating accidents, according to the Boating Accident Reporting Database, published annually by the U.S. Coast Guard.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Deaths / injuries related to boating accidents in the US 2019|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/240614/recreational-boating-accidents-in-the-us--number-of-deaths--injuries/|access-date=January 29, 2021|website=Statista|language=en}}</ref>

Alcohol use was the number one contributing factor in U.S. recreational boating deaths between 2003 and 2012, accounting for 15 percent of the fatalities in 2003, and 17 percent in 2012.<ref>{{cite web | title = Accident Statistics | publisher = U.S. Coast Guard | url = http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/accident_statistics.aspx | access-date = September 3, 2013 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130814121613/http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/accident_statistics.aspx | archive-date = August 14, 2013 }}</ref> A Canadian study published in 2011 examined 18 years of data on recreational boating, and concluded that a "true figure" of alcohol-related deaths in that country "may lie between 46% and 56%".<ref>{{cite web | last = Barss | first = Peter | title = Boating Immersion and Trauma Deaths in Canada: 18 Years of Research | publisher = Transport Canada and The Canadian Red Cross Society | year = 2011 | url = http://www.redcross.ca/cmslib/general/2011_boating_fnl.pdf | access-date = September 4, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130515224343/http://www.redcross.ca/cmslib/general/2011_boating_fnl.pdf | archive-date = May 15, 2013 | url-status = dead }}</ref>{{rp|15}}

Since 1970, when recreational boating deaths in the U.S. peaked at about 1700 per year, the annual rate of fatalities has been declining at a rate of about 2% per year. The majority of these deaths (70%) occur due to drowning, and are frequently associated with small powerboat accidents. Other causes of death include trauma (especially with small powerboats), fire, carbon monoxide poisoning, and hypothermia.

The cause of the reduction of deaths is subject to some debate, but the Federal Boat Safety Act<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.house.gov/transportation/cgmt/05-15-01/05-15-01memo.html |title=Recreational Boating Safety |access-date=May 22, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060515011428/http://www.house.gov/transportation/cgmt/05-15-01/05-15-01memo.html |archive-date=May 15, 2006 }}</ref> in the 1970s (effective August 10, 1971<ref>[https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/asne/nej/1973/00000085/00000004/art00006;jsessionid=dfm3nr8fcocel.x-ic-live-03 "Fire Safety Need for Regulation"], by Donald J. Kerlin, ''Naval Engineers Journal'', August 1, 1973, pp. 25-31</ref>) required that boats under {{convert|20|ft|m}} be equipped with level flotation. This change in boat construction meant that boaters who found themselves in the water next to a swamped boat could climb back into the boat and both reduce their likelihood of drowning, while increasing the size of a search target and reducing [[hypothermia]]. Other frequently named causes include improved boater safety education, increased use of life jackets, and improved boating safety gear.

Another potential cause for drowning is the presence of stray electrical power from a boat leaking into the water. This is known as [[electric shock drowning]]. Metal surfaces of a boat leaking power into the water can create zones of high-energy potential. Stray current entering salt water is less of a problem than the same situation in fresh water. Salt water is a good conductor and it carries current away to ground quickly. Fresh water is a poor conductor and when alternating current forms an electrical potential near a boat, the current can paralyze a swimmer.<ref>{{cite web | title=Electric Shock Drowning | website=michigan.gov | url=https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/boating/esd | access-date=1 June 2023}}</ref> Because electrical drownings frequently present no obvious signs of injury, post-mortem examinations often fail to identify electrical shock as the cause of death.<ref name="Electric Shock Drowning Prevention Association">{{cite web | title=ESD & FAQ | website=Electric Shock Drowning Prevention Association | url=https://www.electricshockdrowning.org/esd--faq.html | access-date=1 June 2023}}</ref> The problem can be reduced by prohibiting swimming near boats connected to shore power and ensuring marinas comply with National Fire Protection Association Standard 303 for marinas.

===Carbon monoxide===
In the early 2000s, several high-profile deaths due to [[carbon monoxide poisoning]] (CO) led to increased scrutiny of boating habits (especially the practice of towing participants immediately behind a boat, known as "teak surfing" or "platform towing") and the implementation of various warning placards to educate boaters of the hazards arising from these activities. Other CO-related deaths were attributed to high concentrations of CO gas from houseboat generator exhaust, where swimmers were able to access an area near the stern of the boats that collected the exhaust. This has led to improved pollution controls on modern generator sets, and changes in the designs of houseboats so that they discharge exhaust gases in a way that they can dissipate. The increased use of CO detectors, especially in boats with enclosed accommodation spaces, and a proper assessment of boat manufacturers, would help reduce the risk of CO poisoning.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/coboating/|title=CDC - Carbon Monoxide Dangers in Boating - NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic|date=17 September 2021 }}</ref>