NSW recreational boaters switching on to safety

A Transport for NSW Centre for Maritime Safety report released this week looking at the decade to June 30 last year shows the state is on target to reduce the number of fatalities on its waterways by 30 per cent by next year.

NSW recorded 11 recreational and commercial boat-related deaths in 2018-19, slightly lower than the 10-year running average of 14, as the number of residents holding a boat licence rises past 500,000, the number of registered vessels nudges 250,000 – one in five households own a boat – and the number of people taking to the water hits two million.

However, the total number of serious injuries arising from commercial and recreational boating incidents in 2018-19 was 60, quite close to the running average of about 67.

Despite that, Transport for NSW said the long-term average for both recreational boating fatalities and incidents was still trending “significantly’ down, with just 244 boating incidents reported last year compared with the 10-year running average of 297.

Of the 114 recreational fatalities recorded in the last decade, capsizes accounted for about 35 of the deaths, 34 related to people falling overboard, and nine related to people being towed behind a boat.

Weather conditions were considered a primary contributing factor in 13 of the deaths, 10 related to excess speed or alcohol, nine were blamed on a lack of judgement, and 8 related to hazardous waters such as bar crossings.

Of greater concern, almost half the deaths in the last decade related to open runabouts. Sailboats and cabin runabouts each accounted for around another 10 per cent of the fatalities, while paddle craft – canoes and kayaks – accounted for nine per cent.

However, the Transport for NSW report shows recreational boaters are getting smarter out on the water.

A sharp rise in lifejacket use has seen the number of drownings fall by a staggering 60 per cent in the decade, while the number of deaths relating to boaters making a poor choice about weather conditions has fallen faster than any other factor contributing to on-water deaths.

It appears recreational boaters are also more switched-on while out on the water, with the number of “look-out-” incidents – those times boaters don’t maintain watch over the water around the boat – falling to just 25 in 2018-19 compared with the long-term average of 40.

Jet skis are the fastest-growing segment of the boating market in NSW, with the number of people gaining personal watercraft growing by an average of 8.1 per cent each year, and registrations rising 9.4 per cent.

Despite this, the number of incidents involving jet skis fell to 101 per 100,000 registered PWCs, significantly below the decade’s running average of 176.

The number of people seriously injured on a jet ski also fell, with just 10 in 2018-19 compared with the running average of 17.

However, the report also highlights the problem areas in boating where the number of deaths and serious injuries haven’t kept pace with other areas.

These include excessive speed, excess alcohol, lack of judgment, towing and
paddle safety.

Another area where little has changed in terms of boating safety is the age of the boater – two in every five fatalities were for people aged between 40 and 59. The report notes that this age class also accounts for the largest number of boat licence holders.

People aged under 30 were also over-represented in serious injuries, accounting for three out of every 10 incidents. Narrow that down to people aged 20-29, and that figure jumps to almost one in every five serious injuries.

Over the last decade, males accounted for almost nine out of every 10 boating fatalities.