Personal watercraft manufacturers are committed to providing their customers with a safe and fun recreational boating experience, and according to U.S. Coast Guard statistics, more than 99 percent of personal watercraft (PWC) are operated accident-free each year.  A 2002 report by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management and the NOAA Coastal Services Center concludes, "there is little data or evidence to suggest that PWC are inherently more dangerous than other recreational vessels."

Unfortunately, a few discourteous operators can give responsible operators a bad reputation. Strict law enforcement and more education has been the response to making our roadways safer, and the same approach is working with waterways.

"The PWC industry supports strict enforcement of navigation and safety laws, as well as mandatory boating safety education for all operators of personal watercraft," says Kirsten Rowe, executive director of the Personal Watercraft Industry Association (PWIA), which represents PWC manufacturers. "If there is a problem with operator behavior, then that is an education and a law enforcement problem."

The Coast Guard found that in the year 2000, nearly 70 percent of all reported boating accidents involved operator controllable factors, and 84 percent of boat operators involved in accidents had not taken a boating safety course. An educated boater is a safer boater, and the personal watercraft industry continues to actively advocate for mandatory boating education for personal watercraft users. 

PWIA and its members have worked with numerous states on legislation requiring mandatory education and safety procedures. Thanks to these cooperative efforts, the rate of accidents involving personal watercraft has declined across the country while the number of personal watercraft as well as hours of usage has vastly increased. States including Connecticut, Florida, and Utah have seen double-digit percentage drops in PWC accident rates since implementing mandatory education for PWC operators.

"Mandatory education for PWC operators is an effective step in helping to ensure safer personal watercraft operation." says Virgil Chambers, Executive Director of the National Safe Boating Council, "The knowledgeable boater can go a long way in reducing risky behavior and adding to the pool of responsible boaters on our waterways."

A majority of states have based PWC laws on the PWC Model Safety Act developed and endorsed by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), and which PWIA actively advocates. This act addresses minimum operator age (16), prohibits nighttime and reckless operation, requires all operators and passengers to wear U.S. Coast Guard approved life jackets, and requires operators to use the lanyard stop switch (for boats so equipped).

Personal watercraft accidents are probably reported much more often than other boat accidents, because among other things they are rented more often than other boats and rental operators report most accidents for insurance and product liability reasons.  Additionally, PWC are often "shared" by a number of users during the course of an outing, therefore increasing the average riding time for a single PWC as compared to other types of vessels. Thus, it is impossible to compare accident rates among different boat types; the data are just not there.

PWIA is eager to work with law enforcement groups. The PWC industry has long worked actively with the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Safe Boating Council, and the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators on a variety of education and safety initiatives throughout the country. Personal watercraft manufacturers have loaned more than 13,000 personal watercraft to law enforcement agencies for on-water patrols and search and rescue activities, and PWIA offers free rental safety kits to personal watercraft rental businesses. 

All members of PWIA pledge to do their part to educate customers and support law enforcement. Education and enforcement are the keys to reducing accidents and solving waterway-use conflicts.