10 Proceedings | Vol. 83, No. 1 incident types, operator and passenger information, casualty data, and registration data. The NRBSS takes place about every five years to determine American boaters’ levels of participation and risk information. It comprises two distinct surveys— Participation and Exposure. The Participation Survey collects demographic and behavioral information about boaters at the national level. Historically, this required responses from 30,000 Americans during a calendar year. The Exposure Survey collects the number of person boat hours per year, the number of unregistered recreational vessels, or paddle craft, and other information for each state. Historically, this has required more than 200,000 Americans to respond in a calendar year. The Life Jacket Wear Rate Observation Study relies on Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers and a contractor to estimate national life jacket wear rates based on boat type, gender, and age, among other things. This study, the Annual Boating Statistics Report, and the NRBSS are available on the program’s web site. RBS Outreach Program The National RBS Program includes an outreach ele- ment that focuses on boaters, manufacturers, the RBS community, and public awareness on boating safety. It produces video, print, social media, and other content that it distributes in a variety of ways, including a social media calendar that structures campaigns and public messaging. The program’s public-facing web site contains products about statutes, regulations, and policy. The public can also find boating safety topics, manufacturer compliance information—including recalls and safety defects—multimedia resources, as well as information on statistics, NBSAC, and grants on the site. By the end of this year, the web site will migrate to a new URL, though users will be directed from the old URL to the new location. The Coast Guard Auxiliary and America’s Boating Club The Coast Guard Auxiliary and the United States Power Squadrons/America’s Boating Club are tremendous assets for the National RBS Program. These volunteers, who number in the tens of thousands, provide educational courses and conduct vessel safety checks, dealer visits, and other support functions for the program and the Coast Guard. A Record of Success In its more than 50 years, the program has had an outstanding record of reducing deaths, injuries, and accidents. Not only did calendar year 2024 have the fewest deaths since the program’s inception, but there have been an estimated 95,000 lives saved since 1971 when the FBSA was signed into law. This Proceedings issue explains why the program, through its many elements, has been so successful and why that success will continue. Thank you for taking time to learn about the National RBS Program. About the Author: Verne Gifford has been the chief of the Boating Safety Division for more than eight years. He is supported by an outstanding division team of 26 boating safety and grant professionals. His 34 years on active duty with the Coast Guard included living in a lighthouse on Cape Cod, serving on the Gulf coast for 11 years, two tours at Coast Guard headquarters, and marrying a girl from Metairie, Louisiana. Endnotes: 1. 46 U.S.C. §13102 2. 46 U.S.C. §13103(c) 3. 46 U.S.C. §13104 4. 46 U.S.C. §15105 5. 46 U.S.C. §61026. 6. 46 U.S.C. 13107(c)(1)(B)(ii) allows for up to $1.5M per year for the NRBSS For more information The Recreational Boating Safety website can be found at http://www.uscgboating.org The Boater’s Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats is available https://bit.ly/boaters-guide The Annual Boating Statistics Report, and the National Recreational Boating Safety Survey are available at https://uscgboating.org/statistics Please contact us at [email protected] for additional information
