BTS | Table 2-44: Personal Watercraft Safety Data

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Table 2-44: Personal Watercraft Safety Data

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	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	Total 1987-2000
Fatalities	5	20	20	28	26	34	35	56	68	57	84	78	66	68	645
Injured persons	156	254	402	532	708	730	915	1,338	1,617	1,837	1,812	1,743	1,614	1,580	15,238
Accidents^a	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	33,837
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	1,412,000
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	^b1,475,756

^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.

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:

1987-1990: Personal Watercraft Industry Association, Internet site http://www.pwia.org/Abo_PWC.htm as of June 19, 2000.

1991-2000: Ibid., Internet site http://www.nmma.org/facts/boatingstats/2001/Files/unitsales.asp as of Feb. 25, 2001.

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, 2000.1999-2000: Ibid., Internet site http://www.nmma.org/facts/boatingstats/2001/files/populationestimates.asp as of Feb. 25, 2001.