Boating FUNdamentals Quiz

Photo By Pamela Doty | Blog Header Picture  

UNITED STATES

01.21.2022

Story by Pamela Doty 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Water Safety

Take this brief boating quiz to learn some life-saving information that could help prevent your family, friends, and you from becoming a water-related fatality statistic. Knowing some fundamental safety information can keep the fun in all your boating outings.

QUESTION 1: If your boat’s capacity plate says “8 persons or 1,050 LBS” what does that mean?
A. You can carry more than 8 persons, if they weigh less than 1,050 LBS.
B. You can only carry 8 persons or 1,050 LBS of people and cargo.
C. You can carry 8 persons even if they weigh more than 1,050 LBS.

ANSWER: B. According to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), the description on your vessel’s capacity plate means you should not exceed the maximum number of people or the maximum weight capacity for your vessel. Overloaded vessels less than 26 feet in length are at the greatest risk of capsizing and that can lead to loss of life and equipment. That USCG reported an 83% three-year average of boating fatalities occurred in vessels less than 26 feet in length.

QUESTION 2: What “silent killer,” caused by gasoline-powered engines (including generators) is a colorless, odorless gas that can kill people on boats or swimming around boats?
A. Carbon monoxide (CO)
B. Carbon dioxide (CO2)
C. Methane

ANSWER: A. Just a few breaths of carbon monoxide (CO) can kill you. If you smell exhaust, CO can be present, but you can’t actually smell CO so it can be around even when you don’t smell exhaust. Symptoms of CO poisoning are similar to seasickness. Get victims to fresh air immediately. A boat traveling at slow speeds or idling in the water can cause CO to buildup onboard any gasoline-powered vessel and near the water’s surface nearby. Driving with a high-bow angle or wind coming from the rear of the boat can both draw exhaust fumes onboard any size of vessel. Operating your vessel in a way that creates fresh air circulation at all times is the best preventative. CO detectors are critical for larger boats with cabins or cockpits because CO can accumulate there. Also, CO can accumulate near the water’s surface and inhaling it can cause you to pass out and drown. Therefore, if you’re swimming around a boat you need to make sure all engines are shutoff and wear a properly-fitted life jacket so you can be rescued.

QUESTION 3: What is the leading cause of boating-related fatalities?
A. Carbon monoxide poisoning
B. Alcohol and/or drug impairment
C. Trauma from boating collisions
D. Drowning

ANSWER: D. Where cause of death was known, the USCG reported in 2020 that “75% of fatal boating accident victims drowned.” They also reported in that year that of those drowning victims; 86% were not wearing a life jacket.

QUESTION 4: According to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) public recreation fatality statistics in the past ten years (2012 to 2021), what percentage of fatalities in boating and open-water swimming incidents were not wearing a life jacket?
A. 75%
B. 89%
C. 94%


ANSWER: B. USACE reported in the past ten years (2012-2021) that 89% of public recreational fatalities involved people who were not wearing a life jacket. Also in the same time frame, 88% were male, 87% were age 18 and over, and 47% were swimming outside of designated swimming areas. That’s too many lives lost that could have been saved if more of them had worn a life jacket when boating or swimming in open waters (i.e. lakes, rivers, ponds etc.).

QUESTION 5: While launching your boat, when is the best time to put on your life jacket?
A. Keep it on the boat and put it on immediately after you board your vessel.
B. Keep it with you in your towing vehicle when you launch and put it on after you park your towing vehicle as you’re heading towards your boat.
C. Put it on when you’re on the dock before boarding your boat.

ANSWER: B. Many people drown every year while swimming to retrieve their boat that has drifted away because they didn’t tie a proper cleat hitch or clove hitch knot and they were not wearing a life jacket because they intended to put it on when they got on the boat. Plus, if there are others on a drifting boat that don’t know how to operate it that’s a recipe for disaster. Wave action, water temperature, and exhaustion can make it difficult for even good swimmers to catch up with a drifting boat, so always wear a life jacket when retrieving anything in open waters. If you don’t have a life jacket on or if your boat has drifted too far away, then please just let it go and find a safer way to retrieve it.

This was just a brief quiz and there’s so much more you can learn from taking a boating safety course. It’s a good idea for even those who just ride on boats to take an online or in-person boating safety course. According to USCG Recreational Boating Statistic reports from 2018-2020, where instruction was known, an average of 74% of deaths occurred on boats where the operator had not received boating safety instruction. Only 12% of deaths occurred on vessels where the operator was known to have received a nationally-approved boating safety education certificate.

A variety of online boating courses can be found at https://uscgboating.org/recreational-boaters/boating-safety-courses.php or check your state boating agency’s website for in-person courses. You can also learn more about boating safely by following Please Wear It on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and visiting www.PleaseWearIt.com.

• Date Taken: 01.21.2022
• Date Posted: 01.21.2022 16:00
• Story ID: 413244
• Location: US