Some sobbering numbers for you Canadian PWC Owners

 

 

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PWC Stats in Canada, will the numbers of injuries be reflected by the number of PWC's in the market? There are now an estimated 60,000 PWC in Ontario alone and these numbers are growing every month. Is it time to consider something other than a boaters card, I am not a fan of over regulation however these machines are faster and more dangerous than ever.

 

Figures from RED CROSS

 

There were 68 fatalities involving personal watercraft (PWC) during 1991-2008, including

33 immersions and 35 trauma deaths (Tables 3a). Traumatic incidents frequently resulted

in head injury, which contributed to at least 32% of PWC trauma deaths. Other injuries

included spinal injury in 18%, fractures in 12%, and major lacerations in 26%. Victims often

sustained multiple injuries

Overall, 19% (13/68) had head injuries, 10% (7/68) spinal injuries, and 16% (11/68)

major lacerations. This compares with 4% (67/1,788) head injuries for other powerboats

and 2% (17/979) for unpowered boats; 1% (11/1,788) spinal injuries for other

powerboats and 0% for unpowered boats; and 2% (28/1,788) major lacerations for

other powerboats and 1% (5/979) for unpowered boats.

PURPOSE

 96% of PWC victims died during recreational activities, 1% during occupational

activities and 3% during other/unknown activities . Only recreational

fatalities will be discussed here.

 

RECREATIONAL FATALITIES

There were 65 recreational fatalities involving PWC, including 31 immersion deaths and

34 trauma deaths (including 3 cases where the person was being towed by a PWC). PWCs

accounted for 1% of all immersion deaths, 2% of powerboat immersion deaths, 25% of all

trauma deaths and 28% of powerboat trauma deaths

Given the small number of immersion fatalities and the large proportion of trauma victims,

this section will combine discussion of immersion and trauma deaths.

TYPE OF INCIDENT

 

 Overall, 34 victims died following a collision (52%), 21 fell overboard

(32%), 4 capsized (6%), 1 was swamped (2%), 1 had other causes (2%); circumstances were

unknown for the remaining 4 victims (6%). Immersion deaths most often resulted from

falling overboard, while nearly all trauma deaths resulted from collision. 65% of PWC

collisions involved another boat, whereas for other powerboats, only 29% of collisions

involved another boat.

28

PERSONAL FACTORS

AGE & SEX

 Males accounted for 85% of PWC fatalities during 1991-2008, with those

15 to 24 years at highest risk for both immersion and trauma. Females and children were

overrepresented in PWC trauma deaths. While females accounted for only 3% of PWC

immersion deaths, they represented 26% of trauma deaths; similarly, children under 15

accounted for only 6% of immersion deaths but for 18% of trauma deaths.

ALCOHOL

 Alcohol was present or suspected for 51% of PWC victims 15 years of age and

older, possibly more since alcohol was unknown in 7% of cases. Alcohol was present or

suspected in a higher proportion of immersion deaths than of trauma deaths.

SWIMMING ABILITY

 Swimming ability was unknown for 74% of PWC victims. For the

remainder,

 35% were weak or non swimmers, 29% were average or strong swimmers and

35% were swimmers of unspecified ability.

 

BOATING EXPERIENCE

 Boating experience was unknown for 60% of PWC victims. For the

remainder, 38% were experienced boaters, 58% inexperienced and 4% occasional boaters.

In comparison, only 7% of powerboat victims for whom boating experience was known

were inexperienced boaters.

ETHNICITY

 Although aboriginal peoples were over-represented in most categories of

water-related fatality, they accounted for only 3% of PWC fatalities, roughly equivalent to

the proportion they represent of the Canadian population.

 

EQUIPMENT FACTORS

FLOTATION

 26% of immersion victims were properly wearing a flotation device

, while 50% of trauma victims were doing so.

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

BODY OF WATER

 68% of fatalities occurred in lakes, 20% in rivers, 9% in the ocean, 2% in

other locations, and 2% in an unknown location .

WIND AND WAVES

 Wind conditions were unknown for 80% of fatalities. For the remainder,

wind was described as strong for 8%, breezy for 54% and calm for 38%. Wave conditions

were unknown or other for 71% of victims. For the remainder, it was rough for 16%,

choppy for 37%, calm for 42% and other for 5%; no stormy weather was reported

.

 

LIGHT CONDITIONS

8% of PWC fatalities occurred in darkness, 12% in twilight, and 72%

in daylight. Light conditions were unknown for 8% of deaths..

 

MONTH AND DAY

 All fatalities occurred between April and October, 97% between

May and September. July and August accounted for 65% of deaths, compared with 33%

for other powerboats and 30% for unpowered boats. 71% of deaths took place between

Friday and Sunday.

REGION

 The highest proportion of PWC fatalities were seen in Quebec and Ontario,

followed by the Prairie provinces and British Columbia. There were no PWC deaths

identified in the northern territories during 1991-2008, but there were 6 immersion deaths

in NWT where the type of boat was unknown .

ACCOMPANIMENT

14% of PWC victims were alone, while 60% were accompanied by at least

one adult, 9% only by minor(s) and 11% by someone of unknown age; an adult bystander

was present in 6% of cases.

TEMPERATURE*

 

 

WATER TEMPERATURE

Water temperature was unknown for 71% of PWC immersion fatalities.

For the remainder, it was reported to be extremely cold (<10°C) for 44%, cold or cool

(10-20°C) for 33%, and warm or hot (>20°C) for 22% .

 

 AIR TEMPERATURE

 Air temperature was unknown for 77% of PWC immersion deaths.

For the remainder, it was ≤15°C for 29%, and >15°C for 71% .

ICE AND COLD WATER

 Based on the criteria used in Module 2 of the 1991-2000 series (Ice &

Cold Water), it is probable that cold water was a factor in 16% of PWC immersion deaths.

 

SALES NUMBERS FROM NMMA 2015

The NMMA reports that retail sales of new boats and engines reached $2.1 billion in 2015, a 3.8 percent increase over 2014 while pre-owned boat sales totaled $1.06 billion, maintaining the industry’s healthy contribution to the Canadian economy. In addition, personal watercraft, including brands such as Jet Ski, SeaDoo and WaveRunner, experienced a sales surge in 2015 with unit sales of new personal watercraft jumping ten percent from 2014. The pre-owned category also experienced a strong increase in 2015, rising seven percent. What’s more, Canadians’ participation in recreational boating has remained stable at 43 percent of the adult population, up from 35 percent in 2011-2012, the last time it was recorded.



The bottom line is that the numbers from Red Cross will be a direct reflection of the volume of PWC's in the market. So Please be carful on the water!

 

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