Table 2-44: Personal Watercraft Safety Data
Table 2-44: Personal Watercraft Safety Data
| 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatalities | 5 | 20 | 20 | 28 | 26 | 34 | 35 | 56 | 68 | 57 | 84 | 78 | 66 | 68 | U |
| Injured persons | 156 | 254 | 402 | 532 | 708 | 730 | 915 | 1,338 | 1,617 | 1,837 | 1,812 | 1,743 | 1,614 | 1,580 | U |
| Accidentsa | 376 | 650 | 844 | 1,162 | 1,513 | 1,650 | 2,236 | 3,002 | 3,986 | 4,099 | 4,070 | 3,607 | 3,374 | 3,268 | U |
| Sales | 29,000 | 48,000 | 64,000 | 72,000 | 68,000 | 79,000 | 107,000 | 142,000 | 200,000 | 191,000 | 176,000 | 130,000 | 106,000 | 92,000 | 83,000 |
| Number in use | 92,756 | 126,881 | 178,510 | 241,376 | 305,915 | 372,283 | 454,545 | 600,000 | 760,000 | 900,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,100,000 | 1,096,000 | 1,078,400 | 1,053,560 |
KEY: U = data are not available.
a Total vessels involved.
b Represents the number of unique personal watercraft used between 1987 and 2000, i.e., the number in use before 1987 plus the number sold between 1987 and 2000.
NOTES
Personal watercraft are less than 13 feet in length and are designed to be operated by a person or persons sitting, standing, or kneeling on the craft rather than within the confines of the hull.
Data on personal watercraft sales and number in use are estimates.
SOURCES
Fatalities, injuries, and accidents:
U.S. Department of Transportation, United States Coast Guard, Office of Boating Safety, Boating Statistics - 2000 (Washington, DC: 2001), Internet site http://www.uscgboating.org/saf/pdf/Boating Statistics 2000.pdf as of Feb. 25, 2001.
Sales:
1987-90: Personal Watercraft Industry Association, Internet site http://www.pwia.org/Abo PWC.htm as of June 19, 2000.
1991-2001: Ibid., Internet site http://www.nmma.org/facts/boatingstats/2001/Files/unitsales.asp as of Sept. 10, 2002.
Use:
1987-96: National Marine Manufacturers Association, data compiled by the United States Coast Guard, personal communications.
1997-98: Ibid., Internet site http://www.nmma.org/facts/boatingstats/statistic98.html as of June 19, 2000.
1999-2001: Ibid., Internet site http://www.nmma.org/facts/boatingstats/2001/files/populationestimates.asp as of Sept. 10, 2002.