Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Validation Study
In 2007 NASBLA began Year One of a three-year SFST Validation Study. The first year work included gathering BUI arrest reports from across the country and analyzing the data to develop a total of 13 possible candidates for standardized field sobriety testing. Testing on those preliminary tests has shown that six have higher promise than the others. Testing standards have been developed, and laboratory testing has begun and should be completed by the end of this year.
Staged Collisions Project
NASBLA held the first of two series of staged collisions in September 2007. There were a total of ten boats involved. Over 40 people from several different local, state and federal agencies donated time and materials to the effort. This is the first time ever that staged collisions have been conducted with both boats moving and, despite several technological challenges, the first series of collisions was completed on time. These boats, along with the accompanying data, pictures and film, will be used in the Level II – Advanced boating accident investigation seminars. The second series of staged collisions is being planned for late 2008.
BUI Study
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has the legal responsibility to collect, analyze and publish recreational boating accident data and statistical information for the fifty states, five U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia. Boating accident statistics are compiled and used for many purposes, such as:
- identifying trends;
- characterizing accident causes;
- assessing the contributions of operator error, mechanical malfunctions and environmental factors; and
- evaluating the possible benefits of government initiatives (e.g., boater education, legislation/regulation, and boat construction standards) to reduce the risks associated with recreational boating activity.
Complete and accurate accident data are essential for these purposes.
Over the years, USCG and state boating authorities have made many improvements in the quality, accuracy and relevance of the boating accident and investigation data captured by the Boating Accident Report Database (BARD) System. For example:
- USCG and the states have provided training to law enforcement officials who conduct accident investigations and state BARD analysts who process accident reports in an effort to provide greater consistency and accuracy in reporting.
- The accident report forms have been revised to increase clarity and provide more mission-essential data (e.g., occupant use of a personal flotation device at the time of the accident).
- USCG has sponsored research to estimate the utilization of various types of boats to provide exposure measures for the calculation of more meaningful accident rate estimates.
Even though many improvements in the collection of boating accident data and reporting of statistics have been made, opportunities for further improvement remain. For example:
- The evidence suggests that non-fatal boating accidents are significantly under-reported. For various reasons (e.g., lack of knowledge or deliberate choice), some boaters fail to report accidents despite federal regulations requiring them to do so and government efforts to increase reporting. State and federal officials believe that the percentage of non-fatal accidents that goes unreported is appreciable—particularly for less serious injuries or property damage only (PDO) accidents. Under-reporting biases the computed accident rates downward and masks the actual magnitude of boating risks. If risks are underestimated, then society may fail to take appropriate actions to control or reduce these risks.
- USCG lacks economic data and methods to estimate the social costs of boating accidents. Such costs serve as an essential input for cost-benefit analysis of intervention strategies and enable inter-modal comparisons of accident costs (e.g., the costs of boating accidents compared to those for aircraft or automobile accidents).
- Boating under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs (as with other forms of transportation) is generally recognized as an important safety issue. Numerous studies have shown that alcohol use increases both the likelihood and severity of boating accidents. Estimates of the contribution of alcohol use to the incidence and costs of boating accidents would be valuable.
USCG sponsored a study by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) to address these three issues. The study team was guided by an external review board including economists, statisticians and physicians from government agencies, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, and the private sector. This document provides a high-level summary of PIRE’s key findings and conclusions
