BOATING SAFETY AND LAKE TULLOCH

California ranks second nationally in the number of boating accidents and fatalities. Lake Tulloch has had its own share of serious accidents and deaths according to the Sheriff’s of Tuolumne and Calaveras counties.  It is therefore very important to supply the boating public with the best information possible to enhance safety on the water and to recognize the importance of law enforcement and boat safety education of the public. It is also critically important for all government agencies to work together to take steps to keep the density of boats on the lake at a level that promotes safety.

2005 ABCs of the California Boating Law – Boat safety starts with expanding understanding of boating safety and insuring that we adhere to basic boating laws. That includes not allowing children to drive high powered personal watercraft to moving watercraft counter clockwise on the lake. All of us on Lake Tulloch can improve public safety by insuring that we along we support public education on boat safety and support efforts to expand law enforcement on the lake. Here is the link to the 2005 ABCs of California Boating Law.

Current Study on Boating Safety

Here is the latest summary from state studies on boating in the state:

• In 2004, boating accidents decreased 23% from 2003. A total of 744 boating accidents were reported to the Department, involving 439 injuries, 44 fatalities, and $4,073,400 in property damage.
• About 34% of all vessels and 76% of PWC involved in accidents were operated by someone other than the registered owner. These findings demonstrate the need to emphasize boating education for all vessel operators, not only vessel owners.
• Accidents occurred mostly during the summer months (May through September), on weekends, and during the hours between 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. The largest number of accidents (44%) occurred on lakes, followed by ocean/bay waters (31%).
• 18% of boating accidents and nearly one quarter of all injuries occurred during the summer holiday periods of Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day.
• 38% of reported accidents resulted from collisions with other vessels.
• Operator inattention (40%) was the most common cause of boating accidents, followed by operator inexperience (28%), and excessive speed (27%). (Many accidents had more than one cause.)
• 66% of vessels involved in all accidents were less than 26 feet in length. 86% of vessels involved in fatal boating accidents were also less than 26 feet in length.
• Of operators whose ages were known, those in the 21-30 age group were involved in more accidents than any other age group, followed by the 41-50 and 31-40 age groups.
• Accidents involving water skiing activities have decreased 27% since 2003. 16% of boating accidents occurred during water skiing activities. (In this report, the term “water skiing” refers to all activities involving a vessel towing a person on a towline.)