45Auto
Commander
- Joined
- May 31, 2002
- Messages
- 2,842
Re: Boating Safety - Louisiana Deaths
Don’t you just hate it when those “nice facts” blow you out of the water and you have to resort to the “feel good” protect the children tactics?
Here’s some more nice facts for you:
http://www.disastercenter.com/cdc/111riske.html
At his age (25-44 age group):
He’s almost 4 times more likely to die from heart disease (19.4 vs 5.6) than a boating accident. But I don’t stop him from eating at Mcdonalds.
He’s 3 times more likely to die as a suicide victim (15.0 vs 5.6). But I don’t lock him in a rubber room.
He’s 2 times more likely to die as a homicide victim (11.1 vs 5.6). Maybe you think he should wear a bullet-proof vest all the time? It would be twice as effective at "protecting his daughter's heart" as wearing PFD’s.
(Please note that I assumed that ALL boating fatalities were caused by drowning in the above examples just to try to make PFD's look as GOOD as possible. For this discussion the 5.6/100,000 rate should in reality be reduced to the drowning rate, which would make the comparisons even worse. IE, He is in reality 11.1/5.6/.66 = 3 times as likely to die as a homicide victim.)
From the Coast Gaurd Accident Report:
80% who drowned were using boats less than 20' in length. My boat is well over 20', so I have already eliminated 80% of his risk of drowning! Just think of all the children's hearts we could protect if we outlawed boats less than 20' in length!
From the Coast Gaurd Accident Report:
Paying attention to the paragraphs above will do more to prevent drownings than wearing a PFD. Biggest danger to us on the waterways is watching out for the other idiots, who are usually enjoying their drinking. Do you have alchohol on your boat? None of my family or friends drink. That probably goes farther toward "protecting his daughter's heart" than any of the "reasonable and simple" methods you like because they make you feel good.
Looks like it comes down to what is "reasonable and simple". I try to balance my protective measures in proportion to the risks involved, regardless of the "political correctness" of my actions. If you have any logic besides "she would grow up without a Daddy" I would be interested to see it. Nothing wrong with wearing a PFD. But that doesn't change the nice fact that 34% of boating deaths were not caused by drowning and a PFD would not affect those. You also need to be aware that over 10% of the ones who drowned WERE wearing PFD's. There are much more effective solutions to boating accidents than PFD's if you're willing to accept some responsibility. PFD's are a very simple, visible and effective way to enhance safety if, like most people, you're not willing to study the actual causes of accidents and commit yourself to avoid them.
Don’t you just hate it when those “nice facts” blow you out of the water and you have to resort to the “feel good” protect the children tactics?
Here’s some more nice facts for you:
http://www.disastercenter.com/cdc/111riske.html
At his age (25-44 age group):
He’s almost 4 times more likely to die from heart disease (19.4 vs 5.6) than a boating accident. But I don’t stop him from eating at Mcdonalds.
He’s 3 times more likely to die as a suicide victim (15.0 vs 5.6). But I don’t lock him in a rubber room.
He’s 2 times more likely to die as a homicide victim (11.1 vs 5.6). Maybe you think he should wear a bullet-proof vest all the time? It would be twice as effective at "protecting his daughter's heart" as wearing PFD’s.
(Please note that I assumed that ALL boating fatalities were caused by drowning in the above examples just to try to make PFD's look as GOOD as possible. For this discussion the 5.6/100,000 rate should in reality be reduced to the drowning rate, which would make the comparisons even worse. IE, He is in reality 11.1/5.6/.66 = 3 times as likely to die as a homicide victim.)
From the Coast Gaurd Accident Report:
80% who drowned were using boats less than 20' in length. My boat is well over 20', so I have already eliminated 80% of his risk of drowning! Just think of all the children's hearts we could protect if we outlawed boats less than 20' in length!
From the Coast Gaurd Accident Report:
Paying attention to the paragraphs above will do more to prevent drownings than wearing a PFD. Biggest danger to us on the waterways is watching out for the other idiots, who are usually enjoying their drinking. Do you have alchohol on your boat? None of my family or friends drink. That probably goes farther toward "protecting his daughter's heart" than any of the "reasonable and simple" methods you like because they make you feel good.
Looks like it comes down to what is "reasonable and simple". I try to balance my protective measures in proportion to the risks involved, regardless of the "political correctness" of my actions. If you have any logic besides "she would grow up without a Daddy" I would be interested to see it. Nothing wrong with wearing a PFD. But that doesn't change the nice fact that 34% of boating deaths were not caused by drowning and a PFD would not affect those. You also need to be aware that over 10% of the ones who drowned WERE wearing PFD's. There are much more effective solutions to boating accidents than PFD's if you're willing to accept some responsibility. PFD's are a very simple, visible and effective way to enhance safety if, like most people, you're not willing to study the actual causes of accidents and commit yourself to avoid them.
