PWC Accidents

[Badger]

A study in the US has shown that PWC experience a disproportionate number of accidents as compared to traditional recreational powerboats.

70% of PWC accidents are collisions and 70% of these are collisions with other PWC. In other words, half (49%) of all PWC accidents are collisions with other PWC. Although PWC represent only 7% of registered vessels, they account for 35% of all boating accidents

Reasons for accidents :

1.Careless/Reckless driving
2.Off throttle steering
3.Operator inexperience
4.Operator inattention
5.No proper lookout
6.Excessive speed
7.Navigation rule violated
8.Alcohol abuse
9.No entry
10.Occupant behaviour


What can be done to improve things, legislation ?, compulsory training?, dedicated areas?, a total ban ?

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[pugwash]

Sorry to be dumb but what's PWC ?

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[GeorgeP]

Personal Water Craft

What's off throttle stearing?

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[Badger]

Personal Watercraft or jet-ski.

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[Badger]

Re: Personal Water Craft

Off-Throttle Steering Loss occurs when a PWC operator, faced with a potential collision hazard, attempts to slow and turn the craft by releasing the throttle and turning the handlebars away from the hazard. Because of their jet-pump design, most PWC do not provide steering control under these circumstances. The result is that the craft continues on a straight course directly towards the hazard, regardless of the operator’s steering inputs


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[pvb]

The easy solution...

The easy solution is to do nothing. Within a few years, they'll all have crashed into each other and decided to give up PWCs! Problem solved.

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[zephyrsailor]

Re: The easy solution...

shoot rocket flares at them.
speed up the extinction rate a bit.

i have an rya pwc certificate and used to use one as a safty craft for which they are very good. however i have had them nearly hit me on several occations whist on boat. last year someone on a wind surfer got mowed down and had his leg broken in about 10 places by a pwc who claimed not to have seen him.

for the record the pwc certificate is a bit of a joke needs to be re-thought if that is bought in as a "licence"

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[RupertW]

Re: The easy solution...

The trouble is that jet-skis are fantastic fun to ride now and again so their popularity is completely understandable and won't go away.

I am opposed to any kind of enforced training and licencing for any form of boating as I think you learn far more caution and maturity from experience and training is very much a second best option. However, that's all based on the idea that it's just yourself thats being put in danger, and that doesn't apply to PWCs.

If we do ask for legislation against the idiots, then it will quickly apply to sports boats, then yachts.

A partial answer might for harbour and estuary byelaws to be rigourously enforced, making jet-skiers hopefully head for the open sea and learn in a Darwinian fashion. Oh, and make sure PWCs pay much higher harbour dues than, say, a 50 foot Fairline, because PWCs are the ones that need most policing.


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