Accident rate mirrors Michigan boating dip

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Boating registrations in Michigan are on the decline, but so are boat-related accidents and fatalities, according to the Michigan Association of Insurance Agents.

Fatalities dropped from 29 in 2003 to 26 in 2004, the lowest number in years, according to a report by the association released Monday. The number of reported accidents also declined from 226 in 2003 to 170 last year. Despite the decline, Michigan leads the nation in the number of registered boats.

The number of boat registrations in 2004 dropped to 944,800 from 957,454 the previous year, according to the report.

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A sluggish economy is cited for the dip in annual registrations, which have dropped nearly 6 percent since 2002. The number of registrations peaked in 2002, with 1,004,836 boats registered.

“We are not recovering like other states and regions in the country,” Van Snider, president of the Michigan Boating Industries Association said in an e-mail.

Increased public awareness of boating laws and use of life jackets led to the decline in fatalities, according to the report. Still, fatalities could be curbed even more with more life jacket use, says Gary Mitchell, spokesman for Michigan Association of Insurance Agents.

About 75 percent of the accidents occurred during June, July and August, and half occurred on weekends, according to the report. About half the fatalities were alcohol-related and the most common types of accidental deaths resulted from capsizing and falling overboard

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