NTSB Reports on Safety Risks in Shared Waterways
The National Transportation Safety Board issued a report Thursday identifying the risks associated with the shared use of America’s Marine Transportation System by recreational and commercial vessels.
The growth of both commercial and recreational vessel traffic during the last several decades is a significant risk factor. The number of canoers, kayakers and standup paddleboarders increased by nearly 22 percent between 2008 and 2014. The diversity of waterway users and their differences in experience, navigational knowledge, and boat-handling skills exacerbate the safety risk.
The NTSB concludes in its safety recommendation report “Shared Waterways: Safety of Recreational and Commercial Vessels in the Marine Transportation System” that all recreational vessel operators need to attain a minimum level of boating safety education to mitigate risk. In addition, the NTSB believes the U.S. Coast Guard should require recreational boaters on US navigable waterways to demonstrate completion of an instructional course meeting the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators or equivalent standards.
“Just as operators of motor vehicles upon our nation’s roadways are required to demonstrate a standard of understanding of the rules of the road in order to make roadways safer for all vehicles, large and small, so too must operators of recreational vessels understand and practice the rules of the road upon our nation’s maritime transportation system to make waterways safer for all vessels, larges and small,” said NTSB Chairman Christopher A. Hart.
The NTSB issued three safety recommendations to the US Coast Guard, one to the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and one the National Water Safety Congress in the report. These recommendations address the need to identify and mitigate risks associated with shared waterways, and training and education for recreational vessel operators.
