WA boaters looking at tougher safety laws
WA Department of Transport invites you to have your say on safety equipment requirementsThe WA Department of Transport is encouraging people to have their say as part of a review of safety equipment requirements for recreational vessels in the State.
Early news articles on this matter have suggested increasing legislation with regard to lifejacket requirements on paddle craft and other small boats.
Royal Life Saving Society Australia (RLSSA) statistics reveal 63 people have drowned in WA as a result of participating in boating or watercraft activity in the 10 years from 2005/06 to 2014/15. This represents 13 per cent of national boating fatalities.
Fishing is the major activity being undertaken when these tragedies occured and, nationally, 92 per cent of boating-related drowning victims were not wearing a lifejacket. In WA, 90.5 per cent of victims are men.
But there is more to it than that. Alcohol, drugs and pre-existing medical conditions were contributors of WA's drowning deaths while boating in the past 10 years.
WA BOATING SAFETY ISSUES
Here are the key WA Risk factors from the RLSSA report Boating & Watercraft Drowning Deaths: A 10 year analysis...
>> 20.6 per cent of boating and watercraft drowning deaths in Western Australia were alcohol related, 38.4 per cent of which had a BAC =0.05mg/L
>> 38.1 per cent of deaths involved drugs, of which 75.0 per cent involved illegal substances
>> 11.1 per cent of victims were found to be wearing lifejackets
>> Almost half (49.2 pr cent) were found to have underlying pre-existing medical condition
>> 19.0 per cent were multiple fatality events, resulting in more than one person drowning per incident.
Safety equipment is required for 100,000 recreational vessels registered in WA and also for a growing number of different types of personal water craft, sailboards, paddle-boats and sail boats in specified areas of operation.
Safety equipment items under review include:
>> Lifejackets
>> Distress signals - EPIRBs, PLBs and flares
>> Radios and distress signalling sheets
>> Compasses and GPSs
>> Fire extinguishers
>> And miscellaneous equipment (first aid, lighting, paddles, bilge pumps, anchors).
Feedback will be used to formulate changes to the Navigable Waters Regulations 1958 that will be the subject of a second phase of public consultation.
To find out more, participate in an online survey or check the dates for two information days in June visit Safety Equipment Review.
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