Stefan wrote:
In article , says...

There are about 180 million cars in the US, and 12 million registered
boats, so the ratio is 15 to one. The number of boating fatalities is
around 700, but this doesn't include drowning while swimming off a
boat which is a substantial factor, so I will exercise some
prerogative and call it an even 1000 deaths. There are 30000 auto
related deaths, so that ratio is 30 to one.



Both those accident rates are higher than the UK, whose population is
around 25% of the USA. Boating deaths appear vastly higher in the USA. I
wonder why?
There were a substantial number of drownings in UK rivers and streams;
I wonder if this is just a difference in the way they get reported.

Certainly there is no place in the UK like Florida, which has 50% more
boats per capita than New England, itself considered a major boating
area.

BTW, every time I try to show that one area or one type of boat is
more dangerous, I find that it always seems to even out. This has led
me to think people act responsibly up to a certain level of perceived
safety. In other words, until someone you know has been a victim, you
don't think it will happen to you.


UK road deaths around 3200 in 2005 with 30M registered cars.
That's about a ninth of the fatalities with a sixth of the cars. The
average car in the US does about 11,000 miles a year (I think). How
does that compare?


Boat-related deaths:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/group.../page/dft_foi_
610522.pdf shows numbers reported to the Marine Accident Investigation
Board. Incidents involving deaths, maybe half a dozen a year.

This report does not include privately owned recreational vessels:
"The MAIB welcomes the voluntary reporting of accidents to or on
pleasure craft used only for recreation purposes and not for
commercial gain, but there is no statutory requirement for this."


http://www.rospa.com/waterandleisure...atersafety.htm
lists 22 boating drownings in the UK in 2004.

There is no legal requirement to register small craft in the UK so
nobody knows how many there are. Also certainly several million.

Is that true for small powerboats? A 25 foot runabout with a big
outboard needs no registration?