Death on the water declines

By TIM FLACH

tflach@thestate.com

Deaths on state waterways dropped by half over the past decade, even as the number of boat owners grew 21 percent.

State natural resources officials attribute the drop in part to increased voluntary training for people sailing on lakes and rivers and along the coast. The training boost began a decade ago.

With the end of prime boating season this Labor Day weekend, officials expect this year’s boating accidents and deaths to remain flat.

But some say more lives could be saved if South Carolina — ranked ninth nationally in the number of registered boats, with 416,000 — made such training mandatory.

Now, boating safety courses are optional for people 16 and older and mandatory only for those younger.

“It’s like on-the-job training. It’s basic knowledge,” said Irmo resident Alison Rosenberg, who learned more in a course about wind, currents and submerged hazards than she did in six years of boating.

“It would be better to require it.”

Natural resources officers are considering whether to ask for the legislative OK to require boaters to show some type of proficiency, said Alvin Taylor, who oversees the 245 state officers who police boating and hunting.

“The more people we can get in boating education classes, the better off we’ll be,” he said.

There were 13 boating fatalities each in 2004 and 2005 in South Carolina, records show. That’s down from 34 in 1997, the highest total of the past decade.

The downward trend began after that year, when the state enacted stiffer penalties for improper boat operation, officials said. And it occurred even as the number of boats rose last year to 416,000 from 344,000.

The state Department of Natural Resources also took other steps to reduce boating deaths and accidents:

• More officers patrol lakes and rivers during the prime summer boating season to crack down on recklessness, negligence and drunken boating.

• There are more promotions to remind boaters that wearing life jackets is state law.

That last step alone is preventing drownings, which are the main cause of boating-related deaths, Taylor said. Nine of 13 boating-related deaths in 2004 and 10 of 13 last year were because of drowning, when boaters were thrown into the water in an accident.

Safety-conscious boaters say more training is vital in reducing accidents.

Since 1993, the National Transportation Safety Board has advocated a training requirement to address the lack of skill and knowledge the agency says creates major dangers in recreational boating.

South Carolina is among 17 states that don’t demand any proficiency or training to operate a watercraft.

The state’s 13 boating fatalities ranked 19th among states in 2004, the latest year for which nationwide totals are available. South Carolina’s 41 injuries that year ranked 20th, and its 83 accidents ranked 19th.

So far this year, there have been nine boating-related deaths on South Carolina’s waterways, including one at Lake Murray.

Licensing boaters might be the best answer to reducing boating accidents and deaths, National Transportation Safety Board officials say. Currently, only two states do that — and South Carolina isn’t one of them.

Taylor said making boating safety training mandatory would meet resistance.

“It’s a cultural thing. Boating is one of the last recreational freedoms without what participants feel is too much government interference.”

About 6,500 people each year take state-sponsored classes that last six to eight hours and cover basic navigation rules.

In cooperation with safety groups, state officials increased the number of classes — including a self-study version now on DVD — during the past decade and promoted attendance.

Nancy Pelle of Lexington wants lots of instruction before taking the helm of her month-old boat alone.

The 44-year-old is taking three courses, wanting to do well in what she calls her new adventure.

“I felt if I’m going to boat, I need some pretty in-depth stuff. I don’t want to make the news by being a stupid boater who hurts someone.”

Reach Flach at (803) 771-8483.