A new study says it is time to teach boaters about their own safety.
The National Institute of Safety and Marine Education and Research (NISER) has conducted an international study on the issue of boating safety and has found that, for now, there is not a single scientific proof that boaters are safer.
The study, conducted by researchers from Germany and Sweden, looked at safety issues of boaters, and found that there was no conclusive proof that a boater’s risk of injury or death was lower than that of a non-boater.
“There is no scientific proof of a statistically significant reduction in the risk of injuries for boaters versus non- boaters,” the report said.
“However, the evidence of a decrease in injury to boaters and non-fatal accidents is far from clear,” it said.
The researchers also said there is insufficient research on the impact of boater behaviour on other boats.
“The main problem is not that boating has become less safe, it is that there is no effective safety prevention education to the public,” the NISER report said, according to Reuters.
The US National Safety Council has released its own study that found that about 1,400 boaters die each year on US waters.