What type of boating emergency causes the most fatalities is a great point of consideration.
This is very important to take note of as far as boating is concerned.
Most boating fatalities is caused by drowning which is largely as a result of not using a life jacket or PFD.
A lot of these boat casualties occur as a result of situations that could have been avoided which includes habits like high alcohol intake.
Even when you are kayaking, you have to be mindful of these to further increase your safety on the water.
This will make your sporting and leisure time more enjoyable when you are boating or kayaking.
Also, it increases your level of safety tremendously when you avoid these mistakes.
That is why it is always very important to use a personal floating device anytime you are boating.
This keeps you safe from damages in case an emergency sets in.
what is the cause of most fatal boating accidents quizlet
Some of the frequent causes of the casualties that occur with boats include;
1) Bad Health Of Boat Operator
Driving a boat should be done by someone that is medically fit.
But most of the times, people who are not in good health are seen driving a boat.
This is very bad as this leads to the loss of concentration and focus while driving the boat.
When this happens, a casualty usually occurs.
2) Excessive Use Of Alcohol
Drinking and driving is one of the highly prohibited habits.
This is also applicable when you are driving a boat.
When someone takes an alcoholic content, it has an effect on the body of the person.
This affects a lot of things in the body of the person.
Some of these include poor visibility.
Also the person will not be stable and will be shaking most of the times depending on the volume of the alcohol consumed.
This is very dangerous as the intoxicated person will not clearly see an incoming vessel fast.
Also they may run into more casualties if they over speed due to the influence of the alcohol.
This is why it is totally bad to drive a boat when you are drunk or drive while drinking.
Being drunk is one of the conditions that most likely causes someone to fall overboard a boat.
3) Not Wearing a Life Jacket Or Personal Floating Device(PFD)
Another cause of most fatal recreational boating accidents and fatalities is lack of life jacket.
As far as boating is concerned, one of the things that must never be missed is safety.
This is very important if at all you want to be alive to enjoy the recreation another day.
One of the best ways to stay safe when you use a boat is by using a life jacket.
When you make use of a personal floating device, it protects you even when there is a casualty.
This is because not all people that use a boat know how to swim.
If you do not know how to swim and the boat overturns, the chances of you surviving is very slim when you do not wear a life jacket.
But if you wear a life jacket, it will keep you afloat till the rescue team arrives.
4) Over Speeding
Over speeding is very bad when you are driving a boat especially the small ones.
A high level of speed causes the boat to lose balance and at that point anything that happens becomes very fatal.
Also when you over speed, the impact of damage is high if you collide with another boat or water vessel.
But if the speed is optimal, safety is always higher.
5) Drug Abuse
Another kind of boating emergency that causes the most fatalities is drug abuse.
This is as bad as when you use excessive alcohol when driving a boat.
It destabilizes your mental health and this is not good when you are boating.
It might make you fall off the boat easily.
Also you can easily drown even if you use a life jacket.
This is because when you abuse a drug, you may be unstable mentally.
When this happens and you fall into the water due to a casualty from the boat, you may drown.
So when you go out to boat, make sure that you avoid drug abuse.
Also avoid boating if you have taken a drug that drives you to sleep easily.
6) Inexperience Of Boat Operator
Another leading cause of recreational boating fatalities is when an inexperienced driver drives a boat.
This is very bad and should be highly prohibited.
Safely driving a boat requires the services of a well trained boat operator.
This is because they will know the type of water to enter depending on the capacity and stability of the boat.
Also, they know that they are person who are responsible for avoiding collision when operating a boat.
But an inexperienced driver has little to no idea about this.
When such a person is driving a boat, fatality is always very high when a fault sets in.
7) Faulty Boats
You should not go into the water with a boat that is faulty.
This is very bad and should be avoided at all cost.
If a boat has some mechanical faulty, it should be fixed before it is put on the water.
This will reduce the level of casualty that occurs.
8) Bad Weather
Boating in the storm is one of the most dangerous activities to engage in when you boat for recreation.
This is mostly very dangerous for small boats that are used for recreation.
During the storm, the waves of the water is always very unstable and moves in a dangerous manner.
Also the wind speed Is very high when the weather is bad.
This becomes very disastrous when you use a small boat.
This is because the high speed of the wind can easily destroy the boat.
9) Drowning
One of the leading cause of fatalities during a boat casualty on the water is drowning.
When drowning sets in during a boat accident, it leads to a lot of fatalities.
This will result in the loss of lives for those that are not able to swim.
This is even worse for people that are not using personal floatation devices like the life jacket.
This is one of the leading causes of death in boating accident in Florida.
That is why situations that lead to drowning have to be avoided to avoid loss of lives during a boat trip.
How To Avoid Boating Emergencies, Casualties And Accidents
1) Avoid Drinking When Driving a Boat
When you are in a boat, always try and limit the volume of alcohol that you take.
This is also very important for the driver of the boat.
This will keep you in optimal performance all through.
This helps to reduce the risks of a dangerous boating emergency.
2) Boat Operators Should Be Well Trained
Always make sure that the boat driver that you use is not a novice.
Also if you have a boat and you want to drive, make sure that you are well trained to help you handle the boat well.
This will really reduce the casualty level that might be encountered.
A good boat operator should know when a navigation rule should be overlooked.
3) Use Life Jackets And Personal Floating Devices(PFD)
Always make use of a life jacket when you are boating.
This is very important and should not be joked with.
Some people refuse to make use of the life jacket because they feel they really know how to swim.
This is not a good practice and should be avoided at all cost.
4) Avoid Drug Abuse When Driving a Boat
One of the type of boating emergency that causes the most fatalities is drug abuse.
So make sure that you do not abuse drugs in any way when you are boating.
Avoid drugs the make you feel sleepy also when you use a boat.
This will help you stay alert in case of any casualty.
5) Always Check For Mechanical Faults Before Using a Boat
Before a boat moves into the water, a thorough check should be carried out.
Always endeavor to check the mechanical parts and have a spare of the crucial ones on board.
This includes activities like the engine check to other things like a hole in the boat.
6) Drive a Boat At An Optimal Speed
Always make sure that you drive at an optimal speed.
Do not drive at a dangerous speed that does not allow you to have good vivibility of what is coming in front of you.
7) Use a Sound Producing Device
Let a sound producing device be one of the things you always carry along in a boat.
This can be used to easily signal other boats in the water that are far from you that you have an issue if you encounter a mechanical fault.
This helps a lot in so many situations if the boat mechanical parts fail in the deep sea where other vessels are far from you.
What Type Of Boating Emergency Causes The Most Fatalities
All boating casualties are always fatal but there are some that are more life claiming than others.
Some of these extremely fatal boat casualties include;
1) Lack Of Life Jacket
Using a life jacket is very important when you use a boat.
Irrespective of your level of experience in swimming, it is always advisable to use a personal floating device when you use a boat.
When you do not make use of a life jacket, it becomes very dangerous when you are boating.
This has accounted to a lot of death that has occurred during boat casualties.
But with the use of a life jacket, you can be afloat while you await the rescue teams.
So always make sure that you use a life jacket.
This will further increase your level of safety on the boat in case any casualty sets in.
2) Drowning
This is the type of boating emergency that causes the most fatalities.
This is because when someone drowns, they die easily if a fast intervention does not take place.
That is why it is very important for you to always use a life jacket when you are boating.
This will keep you more protected.
3) Bad Weather
Before you enter the water with a small recreational boat, always check the weather information first if you will stay far from the shores.
This will help you to plan your boat recreation well and avoid the effect of a bad weather.
Boating in a bad weather is very bad especially if you are hunting from a boat.
It can easily destroy a small boat that is not very stable.
When this happens, loss of life from drowning is usually associated thereby making it very disastrous.
Which Is The Major Cause Of Fatalities In Small Boats?
The major cause of fatalities in small boats is due to drowning.
When a boat has a casualty, the level of fatality differs depending on the type of boat.
With the use of a small boat, you are less safe if a bigger casualty occurs as compared to when you use a large boat.
This is because in a smaller boat, it is quite easy to fall overboard and if you do not know how to swim, you eventually drown.
Irrespective of the type of boating emergency that causes the most fatalities, when you adhere to safety measures, you will be safe.
So try and always think safety when you use a boat.
One of the best ways of doing this is by using a life jacket always when you are in the water and avoiding excessive use of alcohol and drugs.
Further Readings
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