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Australia Boating Incidents 2005
Incidents and Fatalities 2005
- In 2005, there were 1389 reported marine incidents resulting in:
- 41 fatalities
- 133 serious injuries
- 141 minor injuries
- Of the 1389 reported marine incidents:
- The largest number occurred in the summer months (31%), while the least number occurred during winter (19%).
- 65% of incidents took place between 9am and 6pm.
- A collision of vessels made up 23% of all incidents, followed by unintentional groundings, which made up 14% of all incidents.
- Of the 41 fatalities:
- Most occurred in clear weather conditions (82%)
- Approximately 50% were a result of a boat capsizing or a person falling overboard
- 89% were male
- At least 10% had a contributing factor of alcohol or drugs
- 79% involved recreational vessels
Other Selected graphs
The following graphs add a further dimension to the incident data by comparing relationships between two or more variables. In the following graphs, injury status is graphed against other collected variables. These bubble graphs use the size of each bubble to represent the number of records at that point. The value of these graphs is in their multi-variable graphing abilities using purely text-based fields. Relationships become instantly obvious and hotspots can be targeted.
All graphs cover the period January 2005 to July 2006. The first graph plots injury status against an incident’s contributing factor code(s). What is evident is that the factors contributing to incidents involving different injury outcomes vary greatly. Whereas an error of judgement and the wind/sea state are important factors in injuries, the wind/sea state and alcohol/drugs play important part in fatalities.
The second graph plots injury status against the type of incident which took place. Minor and serious injuries mainly occur when vessels collide whereas fatalities are usually the result of a person falling overboard or when a vessel capsizes.
The final graph plots injury status against the type of vessel in operation. Recreational motorboats are the most common vessel in which injuries or deaths occur. Recreational personal watercraft and commercial passenger vessels are also prevalent in injuries. Commercial fishing vessels are another main category in fatalities.
