Deaths and injuries caused by boating accidents in the U.S. 2002-2022

In the United States, 636 people died as a result of boating accidents and 2,222 people were injured in 2022. Over the past 16 years, this figure decreased by over one and a half thousand. Compared to the previous year, the number of deaths and injuries directly linked to boating accidents decreased considerably.

Accidents

Recreational boating is a popular leisure activity in the United States with participants using boats for (sports) activities such as fishing and water skiing and/or travel. Unfortunately, participating in these activities can result in accidents and damages - in 2022, the total damages caused by boating accidents in the U.S. amounted to nearly 63 million U.S. dollars.

Causes

Offering little protection space, it is not surprising that the vessel type involved in the majority of boating accidents is the open motorboat – with around 2.5 thousand of these boats involved in accidents in 2022. In that year, a survey found that the primary contributing factor of recreational boating accidents was inattention by the operator, accounting for 602 accidents in the U.S.