These were culled from the article "To Wear or Not To Wear, the PFD
Mandate Debate" in the Spring issue of Paddler Dealer, about the US
Coast Guard's consideration of a mandatory-wear requirement for boats
under 21'. The article is worth searching out, thoroughly covering the
question of the pros and cons of mandated PFD use.

In 2002 there were 750 boating fatalities in the US (all types of
boats). The USCG estimates that 440 people could have been saved if
they had worn PFD's.

In 2002 drowning caused 524 of those boating fatalities. Of those more
than 75% were in small boats (under 21').

85% of those drowning deaths were not wearing PFD's.

90% of the fatalities were men.

50% of the canoeing and kayaking fatalities were fishermen.

40% of the canoe fatalities involved aluminum canoes.

Kayaker's wear-rate for PFD's is 82%

Jet skiers wear PFD's 97.5% of the time. The percentage is almost
certainly because it is mandated for operation of a personal
watercraft.

My take on those statistics: Wearing a PFD can obviously save your
life (duh). Mandating wear obviously increases the use of PFD's (duh
again).

A large percentage of the small boat fatalities tied to not wearing
PFD's involve either fishermen or folks in aluminum canoes. I'd take
that as an indication that these were not paddling enthusiasts but
simply folks in boats with paddles.

And I'd take that a step further and hazard a guess that that group is
the least likely to have a comfortable, well-designed PFD. Canoe
rental places aren't exactly passing out Lotus or Extrasports and I
doubt that many folks who buy a $300 rec boat spring for a $100 PFD.

I can't claim to wear my PFD 100% of the time. On a hot summer day on
a gentle shallow stream I probably won't. Unless it becomes the law,
and then I probably will.

That said, I'm still opposed to mandates that infringe on my personal
freedom of choice.

Mike McCrea wrote:
sobering statistics snipped to save bandwidth

My take on those statistics: Wearing a PFD can obviously save your
life (duh). Mandating wear obviously increases the use of PFD's (duh
again).

PFD's are like seatbelts. There's no good argument against them and the
evidence is that they save lives, but people can always manage to
rationalize not using them, if that's what they want to do. I guess the
appropriate term for this behavior is "natural selection".

A large percentage of the small boat fatalities tied to not wearing
PFD's involve either fishermen or folks in aluminum canoes. I'd take
that as an indication that these were not paddling enthusiasts but
simply folks in boats with paddles.

And I'd take that a step further and hazard a guess that that group is
the least likely to have a comfortable, well-designed PFD. Canoe
rental places aren't exactly passing out Lotus or Extrasports and I
doubt that many folks who buy a $300 rec boat spring for a $100 PFD.

Both good point, but there are others that aren't mentioned. The
majority of canoe accidents involving fishermen and rec paddlers are due
to standing in the canoe or shifting positions, probably common
occurrences when fishing.

Alcohol also plays a huge part in boating fatalities. Aside from
intoxication related problems (impaired operation, loss of balance,
increased susceptibility to hypothermia), a high percentage of guys who
die are found with their flys open, indicating that they were in the
process "recycling" their chosen adult beverages at the time of their
accident.

I can't claim to wear my PFD 100% of the time. On a hot summer day on
a gentle shallow stream I probably won't. Unless it becomes the law,
and then I probably will.

That said, I'm still opposed to mandates that infringe on my personal
freedom of choice.

I agree. It's a simple case of us not doing the right thing voluntarily
and the government stepping in to force the issue. If people would only
use their heads...

Brian Nystrom wrote:

The majority of canoe accidents involving fishermen and rec paddlers
are due to standing in the canoe or shifting positions, probably
common occurrences when fishing.

When either touring or fishing in my very stable 20' canoe, I often
stand - sometimes for extended periods - even in 'easy' white water.
Paddling/poling and viewing are far more effective when standing - as
is fly casting. Whenever I'm in white water, I ALWAYS wear a pfd but
haven't needed it yet. The only time I dumped a canoe other than on
purpose, I had been sitting the entire trip. The only time I ever fell
out of a canoe other than on purpose was landing during extremely high
winds on a very rocky shore where knee- and elbow-pads would have been
of far more value than the pfd I had on. As for moving about in the
canoe, both in still and moving water, it's a matter of knowing
yourself, knowing the canoe & within limits knowing the conditions. Just
standing is no sin, nor is going without a pfd in some conditions.

Yours in the north Maine woods,
Pete Hilton (Reg. Me. Guide) aka The Ent

--
Don't ask the barber whether
you need a haircut.
D. S. Greenberg

The Ent wrote:
Brian Nystrom wrote:

The majority of canoe accidents involving fishermen and rec paddlers
are due to standing in the canoe or shifting positions, probably
common occurrences when fishing.

When either touring or fishing in my very stable 20' canoe, I often
stand - sometimes for extended periods - even in 'easy' white water.
Paddling/poling and viewing are far more effective when standing - as
is fly casting. Whenever I'm in white water, I ALWAYS wear a pfd but
haven't needed it yet. The only time I dumped a canoe other than on
purpose, I had been sitting the entire trip. The only time I ever fell
out of a canoe other than on purpose was landing during extremely high
winds on a very rocky shore where knee- and elbow-pads would have been
of far more value than the pfd I had on. As for moving about in the
canoe, both in still and moving water, it's a matter of knowing
yourself, knowing the canoe & within limits knowing the conditions. Just
standing is no sin, nor is going without a pfd in some conditions.

There's no doubt that standing and moving around are perfectly safe for
an experienced canoeist. I also don't mean to imply that this is
necessarily reckless or dangerous behavior. However, the statistics are
clear that these are leading causes of capsizes and falls overboard that
result in fatalities of canoeist. It seems pretty safe to conclude that
this is due to inexperience in many, if not most cases.

There's no doubt that standing and moving around are perfectly safe for
an experienced canoeist. I also don't mean to imply that this is
necessarily reckless or dangerous behavior. However, the statistics are
clear that these are leading causes of capsizes and falls overboard that
result in fatalities of canoeist. It seems pretty safe to conclude that
this is due to inexperience in many, if not most cases.


Sounds like the law should be against standing in a canoe....

It seems ironic that we spend so much effort on the low count but high
fatality factor and little effort on the high count low fatality factor.

e.g.

I would get on a bicycle without a helmet way before I got on one
without gloves. 90% of [my?] falls result in hands being thrust out.

"Mike McCrea" wrote in message
om...
That said, I'm still opposed to mandates that infringe on my personal
freedom of choice.

Thanks for the statistics Mike. Part of me agrees with your last statement
but I think in the end I'll accept the regulation. I used to ride a
motorcycle. I was a kid and wore a helmet because NY had a helmet law.
It's too easy on a beautiful day, or when going on a short spin to pass on
the helmet (or pfd). The law makes us think twice. Especially the kids. I
gave up bikes when someone with good aim clocked me with a bottle from an
overpass on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway at rush hour. The helmet did
double duty there. Without the laws too many kids will be 'cool' and avoid
the hassle. Too many adults will either be fools or lazy. In the end
everyone pays. I guess it's the clash of 'individual freedom' with 'no man
is an island'. I recognize the other side of the argument though, as in
'where does it end?' Mandatory helmets while skiing or bicycling?,
Mandatory kneepads when gardening? Mandatory lipitor for baby boomers?
But mandatory use of pfd's is ok with me.
Billy Sarokin

William Sarokin wrote:
I recognize the other side of the argument though, as in
'where does it end?' Mandatory helmets while skiing or bicycling?,

There are already countries where that helmet law for bicycling is in
place. Living in a country where everyone has bicyles, I rarely see one,
except for mountain bikers who go ride through rough terrain.

Granted, we have seperate bicycle paths in a big part of the country,
and everyone is used to watch out for bicycles: here they have the right
of way when coming from the right, and hitting a bicyclist with a car
means that you *always* get part of the blaim as a motorist.

Mandatory kneepads when gardening? Mandatory lipitor for baby boomers?

How about mandatory guns? Isn't there a town in the U.S. where everyone
is supposed to own a gun?

But mandatory use of pfd's is ok with me.

Me too!

Same goes for a helmet when running whitewater.

IMNSHO Faceguards and elbow pads are optional for whitewater, as long as
the individual getting hurt in their face or at their elbow pays for a
decent part of the hospital costs themselves.

--
--
Wilko van den Bergh wilko(a@t dse d.o.t)nl
Eindhoven The Netherlands Europe
Look at the possibilities, don't worry about the limitations.
http://wilko.webzone.ru/

The problem is that too many people these days think that they're
entitled to personal freedom, but absolved from personal responsibility.
If we accept responsibility for our actions rather than blaming someone
or something else (the victim mentality), there is no need for such
laws. However, we've become conditioned to place blame and litigate at
the drop of a hat and such laws are a natural result. Everyone loses
except the lawyers. Personally, I'd love to see unemployment lines full
of trial attorneys, as it would indicate a return to personal
responsibility and common sense.

There is this strange one in France where the floatation of pfd you
don't have to wear (unless in a commercial situation) depends on what
craft you are in. Bigger floatation for rafters than for canoeists and
kayak paddlers. Why does it make a difference what craft you fell out
of!

Also will end up with having to wear a pfd if we want to go swimming in
a river or lake!


--
Dave Manby
Details of the Coruh river and my book "Many Rivers To Run" at
http://www.dmanby.demon.co.uk

Dave Manby wrote in
:

There is this strange one in France where the floatation of pfd you
don't have to wear (unless in a commercial situation) depends on what
craft you are in. Bigger floatation for rafters than for canoeists and
kayak paddlers. Why does it make a difference what craft you fell out
of!

Maybe it more to do with what craft you're more likely to fall out of.