Florida ranks among the top of the nation in regard to miles of shoreline and amount of water traffic it sees every year. It should come as no surprise, then, that the state also ranks among the top in the nation in terms of number of boating accidents.
Years back, the state legislature passed a rule that anyone born after January 1, 1988 would be required to pass a boater education course in the state to legally operate a vessel on its waterways. Studies show just how effective boater education can be.
Most boating safety courses will include practical information such as teaching navigation and the “rules of the road,” dealing with inclement weather, practicing good communication, learning how to read the water and learning how to tie nautical knots. Some courses occur in a classroom while others are completed in a practical on-the-water setting.
Consider these 2018 boating statistics to see just how important boater education is:
- In 77 percent of fatal accidents, the operator did not have any formal boating safety training.
- In 59 percent of all accidents, the operator did not have any safe boating education.
- There were nearly 49,000 safe boating education cards issued to boaters in the state, and more than 3,500 issued to non-residents of Florida, showing just how many people could be on the waterways (legally) at any given time. This doesn’t take into account the number of people who do not legally need safe boating education cards to operate their vessel.
For more information about boater safety courses in Florida and what to do if you o ra loved one have been in a boating accident, contact an experienced Bradenton, FL personal injury lawyer at Goldman, Babboni, Fernandez & Walsh.