St Kilda Boat Sales - Safety regulator says boating incidents leave room for improvement
6 August 2011
Safety regulator says boating incidents leave room for improvement
Transport Safety Victoria is calling on recreational boating enthusiasts to be more aware of their safety, as it announces figures that reveal that boating-related fatalities have increased over the past 12 months.
In 2010-11, six people died on Victorian waterways, while another two men remain missing since early July. There have also been approximately 190 recreational boating incidents during this time, with 15 of those resulting in serious injuries.
Transport Safety Victoria’s Acting Director of Maritime Safety, Lisa Faldon, said people need to think about their safety when they go boating. "It’s important that some boaters take more care out on the water,” she emphasised. “We’re not talking about a complicated issue or one that involves large expenditure.”
“Wearing your life jacket makes sense because you generally don’t have time to put one on when something goes wrong,” Ms Faldon said. “Other precautions like carrying the necessary safety equipment on board and telling someone where you are going and when you’ll be back, are essential. “It might just be the difference between life and death.”
Of the six fatalities in the past 12 months, half are attributed to growing water sports, such as kite surfing, canoeing, and kayaking. 2010 also saw the first commercial boating fatality since August 2004, after a man died when a fishing charter capsized. “Any death is one too many,” stated Ms Faldon.
In an effort to help enforce on-water safety, Transport Safety Victoria is introducing a new Waterway Compliance Team later this year. It will engage with the recreational and commercial boating sectors, waterway managers and other key industry stakeholders to increase knowledge, awareness and compliance with relevant marine safety laws.
In particular, the team will play a key role in implementing and delivering a range of land and on-water boating safety initiatives and regulatory compliance functions, including compliance inspections of vessels.
The work of the Waterway Compliance Team will be complemented by other safety education programs delivered by Transport Safety Victoria, including the successful Summer Safety Education Officers, who interacted with more than 12,000 members of the recreational boating community at boat ramps across the state during November to April 2011.
Transport Safety Victoria’s Boating Safety Education Officers have also delivered 26 seminars to local clubs during 2010-11, as well as speaking to school children at 60 primary schools as part of a junior seminar series.
News article reprinted from: www.shipmate.com.au