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Graefe, Alan R.Best Practices in Boater Safety Education.2001-07-3120p.; In: Defining Best Practices in Boating, Fishing, andStewardship Education; see RC 023 490.For full text: http://www.rbff.org/educational/BPE6.pdf.Reports Descriptive (141)MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.Accident Prevention; Agency Cooperation; *Boat Operators;Distance Education; *Educational Practices; NationalOrganizations; *Nonschool Educational Programs; ProgramEffectiveness; *Recreation Legislation; *Safety Education;Standards; *State Programs*Boating Safety

Recreational boating education in the United States isoffered through a system of government agencies and non-governmentorganizations, including the boating industry. The "best practices" in boatersafety education include means of ensuring the availability of educationprograms, ensuring the content and quality of the educational programs,getting more people to obtain the education, and finally, getting people toact on what they learn. The best practices include development of educationalprograms that are age-appropriate and suitable for boaters of all skilllevels (including instructors); compliance with official boating educationstandards; and provision of boating courses through a variety of means,including traditional classes, self study, and online courses. Boater safetyeducation programs in the United States are described. Commonly used specificpractices include videos, practice examinations, provision of materials andequipment (such as loaner lifejackets for kids), mascots, incentives, andspecial events. There is a trend towards mandatory boater education, as morestates are enacting laws requiring education for certain groups of boaters,usually younger boaters. At present, the best practices in boater educationare defined primarily in terms of consensus of professional judgment orfrequency of use. More research is needed to document the relationshipsbetween education/knowledge, boater attitudes and behavior, and theeffectiveness of educational approaches. Nine Web sites are presented asresources. (Contains 30 references.) (TD)

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Alan R. Graefe Boater Safety Education

Best Practices in Boater Safety Education

Alan R. GraefeThe Pennsylvania State University

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Educational Research and Improvement

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Best Practices in Boater Safety Education

Alan R. GraefeThe Pennsylvania State University

Abstract This paper describes boater safety education programs in the United States. Boater safety education dif-fers from other forms of environmental education considered in this document in its emphasis on safety as opposedto environmental stewardship. Environmental issues are often included in boater education programs, but receivemuch less emphasis than other topics related to safe boat operation. Recreational boating education in the UnitedStates is offered through a system of government agencies and non-government organizations, including the boatingindustry. The "best practices" in boater safety education include means of ensuring the availability of educationalprograms, ensuring the content and quality of the educational programs, getting more people to obtain the education,and fmally, getting people to act on what they learn. The best practices include development of educational pro-grams that are age- appropriate and suitable for boaters of all skill levels (including instructors), compliance with of-ficial boating education standards, and provision of boating courses through a variety of means (including traditionalclasses, self study and on-line courses). Commonly used specific practices include videos, practice examinations,provision of materials and equipment (such as loaner lifejackets for kids), mascots, incentives, and special events.There is a trend towards mandatory boater education, as more states are enacting laws requiring education for cer-tain groups of boaters. At present, the best practices in boater education are defmed primarily in terms of consensusof professional judgment or frequency of use. More research is needed to document the relationships between edu-cation/knowledge, boater attitudes and behavior, and the effectiveness of various educational approaches.

Introduction

Alabama recorded 11 boating fatalities during thefirst six months of 1999, despite a comprehensive boat-ing safety law and ongoing efforts to teach boating andwater safety. Consistent with national accident statis-tics, most of the fatalities involved capsizing, falls over-board, and people not wearing their personal flotationdevices. The situation was described by Small CraftAdvisory magazine (volume 14 (5): p. 17) as a "text-book example of lawmakers being unable to legislateagainst foolishness."

Many boating accidents could have been avoided ifboaters "had only followed the rules of the road" (Lou-isiana officer Robert Duthu, quoted in Small Craft Advi-sory 14 (5): 21). Boating safely requires knowing therules and abiding by them. There are two basic ap-proaches to reducing fatalities, injuries, and propertydamage related to water-based recreation: education andenforcement. The two are inter-related and usually un-der the jurisdiction of the same agencies. Education isfundamental and lays the foundation for safe boatingbehavior. Enforcement can serve two roles, first as adeterrent to unsafe and illegal boating behaviors andsecondly as an opportunity for education through inter-action between agency officers and the boating public.

This paper focuses on "Best Practices" in boatersafety education. The best practices must address manyissues, including (from easiest to most difficult): ensur-

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ing the availability of educational programs, ensuringthe content of educational programs (through educa-tional standards, etc.), ensuring the quality of educationprograms (through recruitment and training of instruc-tors), getting more people to obtain the education (bothforcibly through legislation and voluntarily throughpromotions, incentives, etc.), and fmally, getting peopleto act on what they learn (e.g. getting them to actuallywear their life jackets, which could prevent up to 80%of drownings). This latter objective requires under-standing the relationships between educa-tion/knowledge, attitudes, and ultimately, boater behav-ior.

The Boating Education System

Recreational boating education in the United Statesis offered through a longstanding "partnership" betweenthe federal government, state and local governmentagencies, and a vast collection of non-government or-ganizations. At the federal level, the U.S. Coast Guardadministers applicable federal law and a grants programenabling other agencies and organizations to pursueboating-related initiatives.

The Federal Boat Safety Act of 1971 was intendedto promote greater uniformity, reciprocity and comityamong the states and the federal government. The actdefined the roles of the federal and state governmentrelative to boater safety education. In 1982, the CoastGuard Roles and Missions Study conducted by the


Table 1. Goals of Pennsylvania's Recreational Boating Safety Program

1. Reduce complaints about, and improper operation by, personal watercraft operators by increasing the num-ber of operators receiving boating safety information in courses.

2. Certify 30,000 students to partially implement the requirements of the new personal watercraft regulation.

3. Certify 100 new boating safety instructors to teach boating courses and administer the new Boating SafetyEducation Certificate Examination Program (PWC Equivalency Exam).

4. Monitor the mandatory education issue for other powerboats while promoting the voluntary PennsylvaniaBasic Boating Course.

5. Maintain the Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP) to prevent instructor burnout and encourage volunteer in-structors to continue to teach. This program provides small gifts such as personal PFDs, ball caps, instruc-tor shirts and "Trout Stamp" prints as an incentive to continue to participate in the program.

6. Continue to promote the Boating and Water Safety Awareness Program to schools. Incorporate the programinto existing school curriculums by providing schools with the lesson plan in a modular format. Certify2,000 students.

7. Develop a home study guide so interested boaters can better understand the importance of boating safetyconcepts. Give them the opportunity to test their boating knowledge.

8. Continue to offer the Water Rescue Training Program to train water rescue volunteers and professionals inproper rescue techniques.

9. Continue to foster a close working relationship with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and the U.S. PowerSquadron's education programs for boater safety certification. Make certain that all Auxiliary Flotillas andU.S. Power Squadrons in Pennsylvania receive an update with certification instructions.

10. Continue to teach the Commission's Prnfessional Boating and Water Safety Program to agency employeesand other Pennsylvania state employees who work on, near, or in the water.

11. Promote safe boating habits and increase the knowledge of boaters through the production and distributionof boating safety literature through the mail, boat and sports shows, and other outlets. Continue to updatethe safety brochures, information sheets, and the Boating Handbook to ensure that boaters have up-to-dateinformation on current boating laws and safety information. Provide a copy of the Boating Handbook to allfirst time boat owners, participants in Commission boating courses, and all owners of personal watercraft.

12. Maintain a video library available to boating safety instnictors, various organizations, clubs, and individu-als from across the Commonwealth.

13. Promote boating safety through news releases, radio advertisements, public service announcements, and ra-dio and TV interviews.

14. Provide all liveries with instructions for implementing the new Commission regulation concerning manda-tory boating safety education briefings to their customers.

15. Provide all personal watercraft dealers with instructions for implementing the new Commission regulationconcerning issuance of temporary Boating Safety Education Certificates to their customers for completingthe Commission's new Dealer Boating Education Progyam.

16. Continue the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Grant Program to further promote boating safety through the sup-port programs administered by the Auxiliary. The Commission has traditionally distributed up to $25,000to the Auxiliary to support the expansion of their programs.

Source: http://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Fish_Boat/uscg99rp.htm

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Office of Management and Budget concluded that thestates should assume primary responsibility for recrea-tional boating enforcement and education.

State Boating Education Programs

Boater safety education is offered in every state, al-though the agencies responsible for this function andmethods of delivering the education vary considerablyfrom state to state. Some states offer their own coursesthrough their designated boating education agency, oth-ers accept courses offered by various organizations orcooperate with these organizations to deliver state-specific versions of a basic boating course, and othersutilize a combination of approaches. Boating classesare but one part of the typical state boating educationprogram. Table I demonstrates the breadth of activitieswithin one state's (Pennsylvania) recreational boatingsafety program. It is notable that the goals of this pro-gram address many of the 'best practice" issues men-tioned earlier and include some quantitative targets orstandards.

Boating Organizations

There are many organizations that focus on boatingsafety. Some of the key organizations and the boatingeducation courses that they offer are described below:

National Water Safety Congress

The National Water Safety Congress is a non-profitorganization dedicated to promoting recreation watersafety in the United States. The Congress was organizedin 1951 in response to a growing number of recreationrelated drownings. The membership of the Congress in-cludes water safety specialists from federal, state, andlocal governments, water/flood control authorities, wa-ter oriented utility companies, public safety agencies,water safety councils, and private individuals. The pur-pose of the National Water Safety Congress is:

To eliminate or reduce the number of water-relatedrecreational accidents, injuries, and fatalities in theUnited States.To instill water safety awareness in recreational us-ers of our nation's waters.To develop a network of water safety professionalsthroughout the country.To establish or improve working relationships be-tween federal, state, local agencies, organizationsand individuals interested in water safety.To educate members and the public on current wa-ter safety initiatives and problems.

Annually, the National Water Safety Congress andthe National Safe Boating Council host an International

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Summit. The goal of the International Boating and Wa-ter Safety Summit is twofold:

To impact the safer use of on-the-water activitiesthrough public education and a more effectivemeans of transferring information among boatingspecialists, education coordinators, waterway man-agers and user groups and individuals.To offer professional-level training workshops forfederal, state, and local boating and water safetyeducation and management personnel.

National Safe Boating Council

The National Safe Boating Council, Inc. (NSBC)was organized in September 1958 under the name, Na-tional Safe Boating Committee. The NSBC presentlyhas a membership of over 290 U.S. and Canadian or-ganizations with an interest in boating safety and educa-tion. Approximately 65% of NSBC membership is non-profit organizations and 35% is for-profit organizations.The mission of the NSBC is to reduce accidents and en-hance the boating experience. The National Safe Boat-ing Council accomplishes this mission by:

Conducting a series of on-going National Cam-paigns to promote Safe Boating.Providing opportunities to work directly with na-tional and international leaders in boating educa-tion.Improving the professional development of boatingsafety educators.Distributing safe boating information.Developing and recognizing outstanding boatingsafety programs.Supporting research initiatives that strengthen boat-ing education and safety awareness.

National Association of State Boating Law Adminis-trators

The goal of the National Association of State Boat-ing Law Administrators (NASBLA) is to ensure safeand enjoyable boating for all who use the nation's wa-ters. NASBLA's mission is to protect, promote and en-hance safe and enjoyable boating and to foster partner-ships and cooperation among recreational boating safetyinterests. NASBLA accomplishes this mission througha variety of initiatives, including advocating fair andequitable laws that provide uniformity and reciprocityamong states in water safety and management, workingfor fair and wise use of federal funds for recreationboating safety programs, and establishing standards forboater safety education. NASBLA's Education Com-mittee oversees the Minimum Standards for BoatingSafety Education program. This includes reviewing and


Table 2. Summary of NASBLA Approved Non-State Boating Safety Courses

I I.1,. Alabama Traffic Safety Cen- ; i .

! ter , il Alabanlä Boating Basics ,,..77, A Guide' to Responsible Boating - ii. 2003 '., ,

; University'bf MonteVallo .-:" IL ,11

American Marine Training Basic Boating & SafetyStratford, CT

American Power Boating As- /IH Boating Fundamentalssociation

American Sailing Association Basic Keelboat Sailing

-1Bayshore Books !Toward Safer Boating -- 48LBOATCLASS.COM Boater & PWC Safety Course

2000

2002

2003

IIJ2001 71

2003

BoatEd Boat America: A Course on Responsible Boating 2003

BoatEd Inc. Dallas, Texas ; [Boat Georgia Ii 2001 I

I

1i Boat South Carolina 4 I 2002 i

Boating Ed & Charter Ser-vice, Beacon Falls, CT

Boating Safety Educators ofAmeilca

Boating Safety School ofFlorida

Basic Boating Safety Certification

Basic Boating SafetyI

Boating Safety Course

1Boating Safety Institute of .; Boating Basics, America

BoatUS On-line Boating Safety Course

Bdatwise liBoatIng Basics and SafetyLCanadian Power & SailSquadrons Boating Course

2000

The Boat Pro Course

CEERI (Florida)nBoaterEd

2000

2002

2001

2003

2001

2002

Chapman School of Seaman- Evening Mini-Course (Florida)ship, Stuart, FL

Florida Boating Basics Course

PWC Basic Boating Course

2001

2002

2002

' Chelsea Sailing, Inc. ;!Seanianship/Boating Basics 2000

City of Bridgeport HarborBoating Basics: A Guide to Responsible Boating 2002

. Master's Office,

Coast Boating School t;'; Safe Boating Course

Coastal Yachting Academy Practical Boating Safety, Seamanship & Navigation

72

--2002

2002


Connecticut Boating Educa-tion

'Connecticut Safe Boating, .

!

.... ____ ___. ._.._____ _ ...._ ..._ ... -1

' ,1,ilCorcoran, Raymond

Safe Boating Course/PWC_ _ _

Basic Boating Safety__. ..._. ___ _ ______ _ ._ ___ .___. _ _ ___-_________- .___ _-

Basic Boating Safety & PWC Operation- -.1:,

_

Corky's Boating Basic Course/Connecticut1 ---.- .

Don Fleming Yacht Services Basic Safe Boating Course - CT

-t,,

i

11

'

J1

-ir

I'

li

1; '

,

.1

a'

,,,

i

t,

,

IL

.

II

2003

2002

2002

2001

2001i Don Fleming Yacht Services 11

..,

Empire Safety Councilr. ----rGarden State Safety Council, ilBoating

Green Marine Services

-IInternational Sall & Power :

Academy i

_1

Lighthouse Marine Service

Longshore Sailing School,I Westport, Connecticut

Lytekeeper Marine Services

Mystic Safe Boating

NASISS, Middletown, NJ 1


Safety Course ,,

Basic Safe Boating

' Safe Boating CD-Rom

Boat America: A Course on Responsible Boating for North Carolina

Boating Course for South Carolina

2002

2001

2002

.

2003

2003

2003

2001

2003

2002

2001

2002

2001

2002

2002

2002

2002

Connecticut Boaters Guide

Basic Safe Boating/PWC Certification

Safe Boating Basics Course

1:-Recreational Boating Safety

Nautical Know How Basic Boating


Connecticut Safe Boating

Safe Boating Course

Nautical Know How TrainingServices

New England Maritime 11Maritime

New England School of Boat-ing

; Northeast Marine Services,' Pawcatuck, CT

Rhode Island MaritimeSchool

I Safe Boating Institute, Inc. !;

Safety Resources,

.,

, Safe-Sea Marine Services ilBasic...,.....

Sound Environment Associ-ates

Toledo Community BoaUng. Education Center1

US Coast Guard Auxiliary

Toward Safer Boating

Safe Boating

Connecticut Basic Boating,

Seamanship & Boat'Handlipg

2002

2002

2002

2001

2001

2000

2000

Learn from the Dolphins

1

, Bask Power Boating

Boating Skills/Seamanship (11th)

Boating Safely (Mosby)

Skipper's Safe Boating Course (Mosby)

73

Alan R. Graefe

US Sailing AssoCiation, New- ISmall Boat Sailing Instructorport RI_Basic Keelboat Student Course

I

University of North Caro- Motorboat Handlinglina/Wilmlngton

i US Power Squadrons 1[ Squadrons Boating Course

11For Sall &'Power (video)

I; Boat Smart

Vineyard Maritime Safe Boating Course

Watercraft Training Center Smart Rider/Operator Proficiency Course(Canada)

Westrec Yachting Center Yacht Pro

Boater Safety Education

2000

2000

2000

2003

2002

2003

2003

2000

Source: http://www.nasbla.org/state_courses.htm

approving recreational boating safety courses. TheEducation Committee also participates in joint effortswith the National Safe Boating Council (NSBC) onNational Safe Boating Week and the InternationalBoating and Water Safety Summit. The committee iscurrently developing a Reference Guide to State Boat-ing Education Laws and Regulations.

Non-State Courses

Boating organizations offer various types ofcourses and instruction in different formats, includingclassroom and field-based seminars, multi-lessoncourses, self study, and on-line courses. As an in-ducement to participation, boating safety courses areusually free of charge (some may charge a small fee formaterials, room rental, or postage and handling). Acomprehensive listing of non-state courses approved bythe National Association of State Boating Law Admin-istrators (NASBLA) is provided in Table 2. Some ofthe courses offered by selected major boating-relatedorganizations are described below to illustrate the edu-cational opportunities.

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary

The Coast Guard Auxiliary is one of the majorproviders of boating safety courses nationwide. In1999, the Auxiliary reaffirmed the priority of its his-toric mission of providing boating safety programs tothe public (McAdams, 1999). Seminar courses offeredby the Auxiliary include:

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Boating Fun Adventure on the Water introduc-ing basic safety concepts to children in .grades K-3.

Waypoints A Guide to Boating Safely for olderchildren and youths in grades 4-6.

Personal Watercraft for those who want a brief,very basic introduction to the safety issues in-volved when operating a PWC.

Navigating with GPS for those who want a brief,very basic introduction to navigating with GPS.

Boating Safely is a multi-lesson (eight-hour)course designed to appeal to hunters, anglers, per-sonal watercraft operators and other boaters whocannot find time for a full, comprehensive course.Boating Safely was developed by the U. S. CoastGuard Auxiliary in cooperation with the US.Power Squadrons and Mosby Lifeline, and is ap-proved by the National Association of State Boat-ing Law Administrators (NASBLA). It is also ap-proved by most of the states that require formal in-struction in order to operate a boat. Course topicsinclude: introduction to boating, boating laws,personal safety equipment, safe boat handling,navigation, boating problems, trailering, storing,and protecting your boat, hunting/fishing, waterskiing, and river boating.

Other multi-lesson courses offered by the CoastGuard Auxiliary include Boating Skills andSeamanship (for both beginning and experienced


power boaters), Sailing Fundamentals (also knownas Sailing and Seamanship), Basic Coastal Naviga-tion (an introduction to coastal piloting), and Ad-vanced Coastal Navigation (for serious boaterswho want to learn piloting techniques). The C.G.Auxiliary also offers the Skipper's Safe BoatingCourse, a self-paced, home-study course that pro-vides a basic introduction to boating. United StatesPower Squadrons

The United States Power Squadrons (USPS) is anon profit, educational organization dedicated to mak-ing boating safer and more enjoyable by teachingclasses in seamanship, navigation and related subjects.USPS has about 60,000 members organized into 450squadrons across the country and in some US territo-ries. This organization's name dates back to its found-ing in 1914 by the power boat division of the BostonYacht Club. Currently, USPS lists itself as America'sBoating Club for sail and power boating, and morethan 40% of its members are sailors.

USPS makes a number of educational courses,both instructor led and self learning, available to thepublic as well as its members. The Squadron BoatingCourse and Boat Smart are instructor led courses givenlocally by individual squadrons. The USPS boatingcourse is also available for home study on a video.Members can enroll in advanced courses on Seaman-ship, Piloting, Celestial Navigation, Weather, Sailing,Engine Maintenance, Marine Electronics and CruisePlanning. In addition, USPS offers more than twodozen self study courses on such subjects as WaterSports, Boat Insurance, Oceanography, Introduction toSailing, and Preparation for Coast Guard Licensing.

An innovative feature on the USPS internet site isthe link to a national safe boating test, designed to al-low boaters to test their boating knowledge using aself-marking quiz. Made possible through a grant fromthe Aquatic Resources Trust Fund administered by theU.S. Coast Guard, this site includes a series of picturesillustrating various aspects of boating safety. The sitealso introduces the new interactive electronic Amer-ica's Boating Course, co-produced by USPS and theU.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. In addition to the website,the national safe boating test will be broadcast onprime time television three times during National SafeBoating week (May 19-26, 2001). Following thebroadcast, USPS will distribute 10,000 videos to vari-ous boating-related organizations. USPS expects thisprogram to have a major impact on boating safety bydemonstrating to millions of boaters across Americathe need for all boaters to complete a boating safetyeducation program.

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Boat Education: http://www.boat-ed.com/

Boat Ed is a private organization dedicated to pro-viding boater safety courses and certification andpublishing boater education materials. Boat Ed of-fers home study courses in cooperation with stategovernment agencies responsible for boater safetyeducation and certification. Boat Ed's state-specific courses are approved by the state govern-ment agency responsible for boating as well asNASBLA and are recognized by the U.S. CoastGuard. The Boat Ed website offers:Online boatingsafety courses with online boater certification testsfor selected states (Alabama, Georgia, Indiana,Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Ore-gon, South Carolina, Texas).

Home-study video boating education courses forthese states.

Information on classroom boat safety courses inthese states.

BoatUS: http://www.boatus.com/

BoatUS, the Boat Owners Association of the UnitedStates, also provides online courses that are NASBLAapproved and Coast Guard recognized. Topics coveredin their courses include boating basics, communica-tions, safe survival, safety equipment, the environment,navigation and navigation aids, small craft issues, rulesof navigation (rules of the road), charting and piloting,regulations, boat handing, personal watercraft, andinland boating.

BoatClass.Com: http://www.boatclass.com/

BoatClass.com provides boating safety coursesmeeting NASBLA standards and boater certificationrequirements in various states. States that are currentlyserved include New York, Connecticut, and Delaware.Certification is in progress for New Jersey, NewHampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Penn-sylvania. BoatClass.com offers the following courses:

Boater & PWC Safety Courses. A one-day NAS-BLA approved, USCG recognized, eight-hourclass to meet most state requirements for aboater/PWC safety certificate.Inland & Coastal Navigation. The course consistsof 8 hours (3 sessions) of instruction aimed atsharpening navigation and piloting skills andbuilding the confidence needed to venture to newplaces offshore. Includes charting, plotting, deadreckoning, GPS, fuel calculations, position fixes,cruise planning skills and more.


Marine Weather. A plain-language, practical, 8-hour course for inland and ocean sailing. Empha-sizes how to combine observations of wind, sea,clouds, and barometer to better interpret officialforecasts obtained from radio or facsimile as wellas make your own forecast if you lose the officialsources. Also presents practical rules of thumb thatcan contribute to sound and efficient decisionmaking underway.Marine Radar. A practical (8-hour) guide to safe,versatile, and efficient use of small craft radar, in-cluding radar principles and operation, defmitionof terms, navigation by range and bearing, use ofVRM and EBL in navigation and collision avoid-ance, identifying radar targets and interpretingtheir motions, how to apply the Rules of the Road,and how to interpret land masses seen on radar.Claims to increase the safety and efficiency ofyour radar watch many fold and greatly reduce theanxiety of encounters with converging radar tar-gets that cannot be seen visually.GPS Plus! Designed to take boating knowledge toa new level and keep boaters' investment "off therocks" through GPS navigation. How does itwork, why do I use it? Covers uses for GPS be-sides just where am I?, when will I get there, howfast do I need to go to be back for dinner?Rules of the Road. The course consists of 8 hoursof instruction and is based on the WheelhouseCompanion, a resource designed for professionalsand recreationalists alike. More than 85 millionpeople now participate in recreational boating inNorth America. Many share 'navigable' waterswith commercial and military vessels of all types.All must comply with the same Rules of the Roadand understand these rules for proper and safe con-duct on these shared waters. The course coversthese rules in a multi-media environment. There isa recreational and professional option for thiscourse.

Boatsafe: http://www.boatsafe.com/

Boatsafe.com offers online boating courses, tips onboating safety, and boating contests. Their Basic Boat-ing Safety Course is approved by the National Associa-tion of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA)and recognized by the U.S. Coast Guard. The coursecan be taken on one's own schedule and pace. Help isavailable via email. There are three ways to take theBoating Safety Course:

Study the material online, taking the online chap-ter review quizzes and final exam. The boater re-ceives an email transcript upon completion andcertificate and ID card sent via U.S. mail.Download the digital version of the course in a

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PDF file that can be viewed with the free Adobeviewer. The boater can study offline and go onlineto take the chapter review quizzes and the finalexam. Boater receives an email transcript uponcompletion and certificate and ID card sent viaU.S. mail.Order the printed workbook that includes the en-tire course, a companion disk with tutorials, allchapter review quizzes and the final exam. Theboater can mail in the final exam (or take itonline). Upon successful completion, boater re-ceives certificate and ID card via U.S. mail.Boatsafe.com also offers a Coastal NavigationCourse. This navigation course is a combinationof home study materials, sample and real-timechart work, online testing, help desk and discus-sion board.

Boating Education for Kids

In recognition of the fact that boating is usually afamily activity, many organizations offer boating edu-cation for children of various ages. The rationale un-derlying safety education targeted for youth is alsobased on the concept that lessons learned early in lifewill serve throughout one's lifetime. Examples in-clude:

The U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's Boats 'n Kids courseis a short one-hour presentation designed to teach 5- to12-year-olds some basic safety tips around boats. Thepresentation includes a slide show demonstrating theright and wrong things to do around water and boats.There is also a short video showing the safe things todo around and in boats. Boats 'n Kids ends with ademonstration of how to put on a PFD (personal flota-tion device or life preserver) and what to do if someoneelse is in trouble in the water. Each child is given aworkbook to help them remember what they havelearned, including proper boat loading, safe fuel han-dling and basic safe boating tips. The Coast GuardAuxiliary also offers the Water 'n Kids course, a simi-lar program designed for 4- to 7-year-olds.

Boating Safety for Kids is offered by the USPower Squadrons concurrently with adult boatingsafety education courses, using different rooms ofthe same facility on the same evenings. This pro-gram was developed by USPS and WashingtonState Parks over a three year period with two yearsof test courses. (Jensen, 1999). The course istaught by two adults teaching as a team and is veryhands-on. It is designed to appeal to children fromages 4 or 5 to early teens. The course focuses onneeds for and how to wear pfds, how to keepweight low in boats, how to throw lines and flota-

1 0


tion devices, dangers of hypothermia, and otherlife saving subjects.Boatsafe.com offers Boating for Kids to helpyoung boaters (and young-at-heart boaters) to startboating safely and smartly.Boating Safety Sidekicks is a program of the Na-tional Safe Boating Council (NSBC). It includesbooklets and online programs (http://www. boat-ingsidekicks. com/).California's AquaSMART boating program offerscurriculum materials for aquatic and boating safetyeducation to public schools at no charge. Duringthe current biennium, all elementary school cur-riculum materials were revised and the AquaS-MART Water & Boating Safety series was devel-oped. The series is divided into three parts, forgrades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. High school students areserved by another boating safety program forgrades 9-12. This information is also available onthe AquaSMART webpage.

Instructor Training

Ensuring the quality of instructors is a critical ele-ment of the boating safety education system. A primeexample of "training the trainers" is the National SafeBoating Council's (NSBC) Boating Safety InstructorCertification Course. The purpose of this training is toeducate instructors on both the NASBLA MinimumStandards for Boating Education and on effective boat-ing education methods. The NSBC Boating Safety In-structor Certification is designed to recognize the in-structor candidate's prior training and experience pluscompletion of basic boating safety course work. Thecourse objective is to identify and clarify the knowl-edge and skills needed to present an effective boatingsafety education curriculum to entry-level students.The course involves lecture, group discussion and a re-view of standards, textbooks, manuals and lessonplans.

Prerequisites of the NSBC Boating Safety Instruc-tor program include current instructor level certifica-tion in a state or nationally recognized training pro-gram (or equivalent), a minimum of 40 hours teachingexperience, and a high level of comprehension of theboating course content. This is a two-day, 16-hourboating safety review with written instructor exam. Allmaterials, including five major boating safety manualsused in courses throughout the country and an NSBCinstructor manual with disk of a model NASBLAsafety course outline, is given to all registered instruc-tor candidates. Upon successful completion of thecourse, the instructor receives an Instructor Certificateand an individual one-year membership to the NationalSafe Boating Council.

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The learning outcomes of the instructor trainingprogram are as follows:

Candidate will become familiar with the nationalcourse standards in boating safety education(NASBLA Minimum Standards for Boating Edu-cation).Candidate will be able to develop and present acourse customized to local and regional require-ments following the NASBLA Minimum Stan-dards for Boating Education.Candidate will receive instruction and gain practi-cal experience in developing and presenting aclassroom-based boating course using proven edu-cation methods.

There are many other information sources for boatingsafety instructors as well, including the Boatus.comand BoatClass.com websites. In addition, many boat-ing organizations provide a variety of services and pro-fessional development opportunities related to boatersafety education.

Boating Industry Initiatives

Boating-related industries have played an impor-tant role in boater safety education. Both the industriesthemselves and their trade associations have been ac-tive players. For example, the Personal Watercraft In-dustry Association (PWIA) was formed in 1987 as anaffiliate of the National Marine ManufacturersAssociation. It was created to bring together companiesthat manufacture or distribute personal watercraft(PWC) in order to promote safe and responsibleoperation of personal watercraft; and to work withfederal, state and local agencies with regulatoryresponsibilities for recreational boating. The PWIAbelieves boating education makes sense for all boaters,not just PWC operators (http://www.pwia.org/).Because safety is of paramount importance, the PWCmanufacturing industry has taken the following actionsto raise awareness about proper PWC operation,behavior, courtesy and safety:

All manufacturers provide extensive printed andvideo materials with every boat sold, and dealersroutinely review safety techniques with their cus-tomers. The PWIA also developed classroom ma-terials now used by more than 12 states, nationalorganizations such as the U.S. Coast Guard Auxil-iary and the U.S. Power Squadrons, and local boat-ing enforcement agencies. Some PWC manufac-turers also financially support safety educationcourses in public schools.The PWIA provides free rental education packagesto PWC rental businesses. This package includes a

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video, safety check-off list and printed safety lit-erature.Manufacturing members of the PWIA are sponsorsof the Personal Watercraft Rescue Specialists Na-tional Rescue School -- a training program for wa-ter rescue specialists.The PWIA strongly supports the Northwest PWCSafety Project. Watercraft dealers in Washington,Oregon and Idaho have banded together to pro-mote safe, responsible use of PWC and otherboats. Some of the tools dealers are utilizing as aresult of this project are: code of ethics, dealer re-view safety list, window placard, wallet card,laminated list of safety rules, safety checklist andsafety poster.To educate consumers and encourage safe PWCoperation, Bombardier Recreational Products initi-ated its "Get Caught Doing It Responsibly" DemoDays program in key markets across the country.This largest ever interactive safety campaignreached thousands of current and future PWC en-thusiasts with its "Boat Smart From The Start"safety message.Bombardier Recreational Products, with the Na-tional Marine Manufacturers Association, is a ma-jor corporate supporter of the Watercraft TrainingCentre in Canada.Kawasaki supported California State UniversitySacramento as its Aquatic Center developed thefirst University-accredited PWC education course.Kawasaki has worked with the Aquatic Centersince 1995, providing Jet Ski® watercraft for theclass; in 1998 this class was granted University ac-creditation. The 12-week course is open to stu-dents and the general public.Kawasaki's National Safe Boating Week programincludes the donation of Kawasaki Jet Ski® water-craft and 650 life jackets in support of state and lo-cal programs in various localities.Kawasaki also supports the College of Search andRescue program, which provides state-of-the-arttraining for all forms of rescue including swift wa-ter and ocean PWC rescue for emergency respond-ers and law enforcement officials.Polaris introduced a PWC training program thatrequires dealers to deliver a boating safety presen-tation (video and law review) to all new purchas-ers. The product cannot be warranty registered un-til the customer receives information.Yamaha supports K-38, a personal watercraft res-cue training company, which provides hands-ontraining for lifeguards, rescue agencies and law en-forcement personnel.Yamaha donated $100,000 in personal flotationdevices (PFD) and wet suits to the National SafeBoating Council for boating safety programs

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across the country. This apparel will be used forday loans at local recreation areas.Yamaha and the United Safe Boating Institute in-troduced a U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary approvedsafety course for PWC owners. The certificationprogram, developed through Yamaha's Get W.E.T.(Watercraft Education and Training) initiative al-lows Yamaha watercraft owners to review a shortvideotape presentation and booklet from home.They can take the certification test by calling a tollfree phone number. The course is offered at nocost to Yamaha watercraft owners and takes aboutan hour to complete. Those who pass the certifica-tion process are automatically enrolled in Ya-maha's Club Wave Owners Club entitling them toa USBI certificate, Club Wave membership card,insurance savings and club benefits that includespecial discounts on selected Yamaha watercraftaccessories.Yamaha offers a NASBLA-approved, U.S CoastGuard-recognized boating safety course on itsClub Wave website, www.yamahaclubwave.com.Yamaha has sent over 1,637 free rental kits torental facilities since 1995. The kit consists of aRental Tips booklet; an Instruction Poster high-lighting key points of proper watercraft operation;Instruction Video; and Riding Card providing at-a-glance instruction reference, laminated for durabil-ity.To reinforce safe, appropriate and courteous opera-tion of PWC, the industry helped develop and hasactively supported reasonable boating regulations.More than 26 states have based their PWC laws onthe PWIA Model Safety Act. This act addressesminimum operating age (16 years old), requiresmandatory education of operators, prohibits night-time and reckless operation, and requires all opera-tors and passengers to wear Coast Guard approvedlife jackets, and to use their lanyard stop switches(for vessels so equipped). The PWIA strongly en-courages all its members to abide by the PWCCode of Ethics.

Boating Education Standards

Standards for boating education in the UnitedStates fall under the jurisdiction of the National Asso-ciation of Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA).NASBLA developed its minimum content for boatingeducation courses more than a decade ago. These stan-dards have served as a guide for state, non-profit andcommercial providers to follow in developing boatingeducation materials. In 1998, NASBLA began aresearch program in cooperation with the PennsylvaniaState University to evaluate the existing guidelines anddevelop a new minimum "standard of care" for boating

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for boating education. Relevant documents were re-viewed and interviews were conducted with nationallyprominent and recognized boating educators. A work-ing draft of the standards was written and submitted tothe NASBLA Standards Advisory Committee for re-view and comment. Several more drafts of the stan-dards were completed, each going through a reviewprocess. The standards were intended to describe theminimum body of knowledge that should be includedin a boating safety course in order to achieve safe, le-gal, and enjoyable boating. In addition, the proposedstandard of care was predicated on reducing risk in rec-reational boating based on empirical accident and boat-ing violation statistics.

In Phase Two of the research, the Penn State teamsought to pilot test and evaluate the draft NationalBoating Education Standards. This work was dividedinto three tasks. Task 1 solicited the input of almost150 boating educators representing major nationalboating organizations. This survey asked boating ex-perts whether or not each proposed standard should beincluded as a minimum boating education standard, aswell as the relative importance of each standard. TaskTwo involved a review of nine boating educationcourse/texts using the draft standards. This task usedvolunteers who evaluated their own course materialsagainst the standards, along with independent reviewsby the research team and NASBLA representatives.The purpose of Task 2 was to validate the NASBLAfunction of reviewing boating courses submitted forNASBLA approval. Task Three of the evaluationsought to understand how instructors, presented withthe draft standards, dealt with the design, implementa-tion, and teaching of a boating safety course usingthese standards. In this task the purpose was to gain adeep understanding of the standards through intensiveobservations and discussions with boating educatorswho were actually using the standards. Each of thethree tasks was structured to gain information thatwould be useful in finalizing the standards.

This work resulted in another revision of the Na-tional Boating Education Standards, which wasadopted by NASBLA in September of 1999 (Hug et al.,1999). Through the national review and validationprocess, the National Boating Education Standardsgained a high degree of national agreement. Table 3shows a listing of the topics included in the NASBLAstandards. These standards are intended to convey toorganizations and individuals the minimum body ofknowledge that must be included in a short, 6-8hour boating education course. Boating instructors,

text authors, boating professionals, and organizationsare encouraged to go beyond the standards when, intheir judgment and experience, it assists the boat opera-tor to boat more safely. In addition, the standards areintended to show just the minimum content of thecourse materials, not the sequence or organization ofthe material. Although the standards are organized in aparticular way, course/text developers are welcome toorganize their information as they prefer.

It is noteworthy that environmental issues are in-cluded in the minimum knowledge that all boaters areexpected to have (standards 5.1-5.3). But the boatingeducation standards emphasize information related toboating safety and boat operation. Messages related toenvironmental stewardship may receive only cursorytreatment in many boating courses due to the logisticaldifficulty of covering a large amount of required mate-rial within a limited amount of time and textbookpages.

Mandatory Education

More and more states are enacting laws requiringeducation for boaters. Some of these laws pertain toparticular segments of boaters, such as youth or opera-tors of personal watercraft. More than half of the statescurrently have some form of mandatory boating educa-tion, and other states have such legislation pending orproposed.

Nationally, a general consensus exists among boat-ing safety educators and organizations that a reductionof recreational boating fatalities, injuries, and propertydamage might best be accomplished by mandating boatoperators to participate in a boating safety course (Huget al. 2000. The National Association of State BoatingLaw Administrators has endorsed the concept and pre-pared a model act for mandatory boating safety educa-tion. The Personal Watercraft Industry Association(PWIA) has also noted the trend towards mandatoryeducation and has supported state initiatives to requireeducation for operators of personal watercraft. Basedon positive results from several states that already hadsome form of mandatory boater education, the PWIAintroduced its own model act in 1998. Although evi-dence regarding the effects of mandatory education issketchy, the PIAA cited the following examples in sup-port of its position regarding mandatory education:

Connecticut implemented mandatory education formost boaters and all personal watercraft operators


Table 3. : Summary of Topics Included in NASBLA National Boating Education Standards

Section 1: The Boat

Standard 1.1 - Boat CapacitiesStandard 1.2 - Boat Registration Requirements

Section 2: Boating Equipment

Standard 2.1 - Personal Flotation Device Types and CarriageStandard 2.2 - Personal Flotation Device Sizing and AvailabilityStandard 2.3 - Wearing Personal Flotation DevicesStandard 2.4 - Personal Flotation Device ServiceabilityStandard 2.5 - Fire ExtinguishersStandard 2.6 - Back-Fire Flame Control DeviceStandard 2.7 - Ventilation SystemsStandard 2.8 - Navigation Light EquipmentStandard 2.9 - Sound Signaling Equipment

Section 3: Trip Planning and Preparation

Standard 3.1 - Checking Local Weather And Water ConditionsStandard 3.2 - Checking Local HazardsStandard 3.3 - Filing a Float PlanStandard 3.4 - Boat Preventative MaintenanceStandard 3.5 Transporting and TraileringStandard 3.6 - Fueling ProceduresStandard 3.7 - Pre-Departure Checklist & Passenger Communication

Section 4: Marine Environment

Standard 4.1 Environmental Laws and RegulationsStandard 4.2 - Human Waste DisposalStandard 4.3 Disposal of Toxic Substances

Section 5: Safe Boat Operation

Standard 5.1 - Operator ResponsibilitiesStandard 5.2 - Influence of Drugs and Alcohol on Boat OperationStandard 5.3 - Navigation Rules of the RoadStandard 5.4 - Aids to NavigationStandard 5.5 - Docking and MooringStandard 5.6 - Anchoring

Section 6: Emergency Preparedness

Standard 6.1 - Rendering AssistanceStandard 6.2 - Communication ProceduresStandard 6.3 - Capsizing EmergenciesStandard 6.4 - Falls Overboard EmergenciesStandard 6.5 - Hypothermia PreventionStandard 6.6 - Fire Emergency PreparednessStandard 6.7 - Running Aground Prevention and ResponseStandard 6.8 - Accident ReportsStandard 6.9 - Boating Accident Report Form

Section 7: Other Water Activities

Standard 7.1 - Personal Watercraft and other Jet Propelled WatercraftStandard 7.2 - Water SkiingStandard 7.3 - Diving and SnorkelingStandard 7.4 - Hunting & Fishing

Section 8: Boating Education Practices

Standard 8.1 - Continuing EducationStandard 8.2 - State Specific Boating Information

Source: http://www.nasbla.org/education_standards.htm

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in 1993. Since 1995, the number of reported acci-dents involving PWC has remained fairly constant(six accidents in 1995, eight accidents in 1998),however the amount of PWC registered in the statehas grown by approximately 30 percent. FrankDisbrow, supervisor of Connecticut's boating divi-sion, reports that an additional benefit of manda-tory education has been fewer complaints regard-ing PWC. He states that while complaints used tocome in to his office daily, he only received threecomplaints in 1998 and hadn't received any com-plaints as of May 1999.

In October 1996, Florida established its manda-tory education law. It requires all persons born af-ter September 30, 1980 to complete a NASBLAapproved boater education course or competencyexam prior to operating a vessel powered by a mo-tor of 10 horsepower or more. On October 1, 2001,all persons 21 years of age and younger will be re-quired to comply with this law. According toboating law administrator Jim Brown, Florida hasseen a downward trend in the percentage of re-ported accidents in the 16 and under age groupsince the law was established. In 1996, the 16 andunder age group was responsible for 14 percent ofreported accidents involving PWC. By 1998, thepercentage of reported accidents from this agegroup had dropped to 12 percent. "It is a goodsign," he says of the official statistics. "In reality,the percentage of accidents from this age groupdropped to about 10 percent in 1998." He basesthis on what he calls the "double-edge sword ofeducation," meaning that as more people receiveboating safety training and learn about the accidentreporting requirements, more accidents get re-ported. Brown said another positive aspect of thelaw is that adults are completing the course alongwith their children. He feels this helps account forthe fact that the number of PWC accidents has re-mained stable, even though more craft have beenregistered every year since the law took effect. Infact, PWC accidents have dropped about 15 per-cent since 1995, while the number of registeredPWC increased over 31 percent.

In January 1995, Kansas began requiring manda-tory education for PWC operators between theages of 12 and 15. Boating Law AdministratorCheri Swayne reports that PWC accident figuresinvolving youths under 19 dropped dramaticallysince then. During 1998, 12.5 percent of PWC ac-cidents involved youths, a significant drop fromthe 35.3 percent involvement in 1997. Overall,PWC accidents decreased significantly during1998. In 1997, PWC accidents comprised 56.1percent of the total accident figure; PWC involve-ment dropped to 39.8 percent in 1998 - a decrease

of over 16 percent, while PWC registration num-bers during the same time increased 11.5 percent.

In Maryland, which enacted mandatory educationregulations in the mid-1990s, the number of PWCregistered in the state increased from 9,273 in1995 to 14,365 in 1998, an increase of almost 55percent. During the same time, the amount ofPWC-related accidents increased by approximately7 percent, with 56 PWC accidents reported in 1995and 60 PWC accidents in 1998. Maryland officialsalso note that they had no PWC-related fatalities in1996 or 1997, and only one fatality in 1998, down50 percent from the two fatalities recorded in1995.

New Jersey's mandatory education program beganin 1997. Under state law all PWC operators mustcomplete a boating safety course and carry an op-erator's certificate. The program has been an over-whelming success. According to state officialsthere were 68 accidents, 53 injuries and one fatal-ity reported to the state in 1998 in comparison tothe pre-law statistics for 1996 of 89 accidents, 55injuries and three deaths. This corresponds to ap-proximately a 24 percent decrease in accidents, afour percent decrease in injuries and a 67 percentdecrease in fatalities. These decreases are signifi-cant in light of the fact that PWC registrations inNew Jersey increased during this time as com-pared to the number registered in 1996.

Utah continues to see reductions in the number ofreported PWC accidents, despite the fact that thenumber of personal watercraft registered in thestate has risen since the implementation of manda-tory education in 1995. Utah requires mandatoryeducation for operators between the ages of 12 and17. The results for this targeted age group arehighly significant. Accidents involving 12 to 17-year olds dropped by almost 72 percent since1995. While education is only required for youths,the benefits are not confined to that age group.Since 1995, PWC registration increased almost 40percent, yet accidents involving PWC decreasedby about 18 percent. Fatalities involving PWChave dropped as well, with two recorded in 1998as compared to four recorded in 1995. Thisamounts to a 50 percent reduction in fatalities. TedWoolley, boating law administrator for Utah is"proud of the statistics" and a firm believer inmandatory education. "We have proof it works,"he said and notes that these reductions wereachieved, "even though a new insurance require-ment went into effect last year that increased thereporting of accidents."

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Testing Issues

The trend toward mandatory boating education hasraised many difficult questions relative to the imple-mentation of the required education. Thus, PhaseThree of NASBLA's research on National BoatingEducation Standards addressed several questions re-lated to testing boater knowledge, including:

What does evidence from educational research lit-erature tell us about learner acquisition of boatingknowledge in distance learning courses versusclassroom instruction?

Is there any evidence from educational researchthat suggests there is a difference in boat operatorknowledge demonstrated on a course exam versusan equivalency exam?

What does evidence from educational research,mandated boating education states, and compara-ble fields, tell us about the differences betweenproctored and non-proctored exams in classroomand distance learning settings (such as the Inter-net).

What research information exists about whetherboating safety exams should be approved inde-pendently or in conjunction with a course ofstudy?

Should there be a national pool of exam questionsfrom which approved tests are constructed?

What information can be provided to boating edu-cators and NASBLA course reviewers on design-ing and evaluating high quality tests of boat opera-tor knowledge.

How many exam questions should be allocated toeach standard to assure that the boat operator istested adequately on each standard?

What kinds of questions (true/false, multiplechoice, fill-in blank, etc.) are most effective at test-ing boat operator knowledge on exams?

To address these questions, Hug et al. (2000) ex-amined educational research literature and explorededucation practices in fields comparable to boater edu-cation. They found no evidence of significant differ-ences in knowledge acquisition between traditionalclassroom formats and distance learning or self-studyprograms. Most of the studies reviewed found no sig-nificant differences between alternative formats, andthose finding differences showed no consistent pattern(Russell, 1999; Schulman & Sims, 1999; Wade, 1999).In some cases traditional classroom settings showedstronger results, and in other instances the distanceeducation alternatives were superior.

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Experts in educational testing recommend that awell-designed exam should have a variety of types ofquestions and cover the entire body of knowledge asoutlined by the National Boating Education Standards.Certain standards, however, carry more importance andshould receive more attention within the exam.

The boating community is divided in beliefs aboutwhether boating safety exams must be proctored.Some states and organizations require proctored examsand others do not. The main reasons to proctor anexam are to make sure that the test is secure from theftand to assure that the test taker is actually the personwho has attainted a high degree of content knowledge.In high stakes testing situations, such as entrance intocollege or obtaining a professional license (doctor,lawyer, pilot, commercial boat captain, etc), the abilityto successfully pass a knowledge exam provides thetest taker with the right to attain a privilege. Throughlegislation society determines what professionsnecessitate a higher level of prerequisite knowledgebefore gaining a professional privilege, and testsecurity is matched to that knowledge-testing purpose.

Boating test security should be appropriate for theexam purpose and context of the test. Exam securitymight include procedures such as: confirming the iden-tity of the test taker, randomizing test items, using dif-ferent versions of an exam, observing test takers duringthe exam, protecting the security of the test item an-swers, using distinctive, hard to duplicate certificates,maintaining test taker records, etc. There is no singleexam security protocol that would fit all boating safetyexaminations.

Even with the highest levels of test security, ingen-ious test takers find ways of cheating. No matter whatexam security measures are followed, as the stakes(fees, consequences for failure) increase, the possibilityof losing exam integrity increases. Fortunately, inmost cases, learning recreational boat safety is easierthan cheating on the examination.

From their research, Hug et al. (2000) recom-mended adding several additional standards to the ap-proved NASBLA boating education standards:

Standard 9.1 - Boat Operator Knowledge CourseFormats. The course submitted for NASBLA "re-view may be in any format that meets the stan-dards as long as it can be reviewed easily byNASBLA. These may include but are not limitedto classroom instruction, distance learning, or self-study programs.

Standard 9.2 - Boat Operator Knowledge Exams.In order to receive NASBLA approval, all exams,

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whether administered as part of a course of studyor as independent exams, must be submitted forreview.

Standard 9.2.1 -The exam must be well designedand comprehensive in covering NASBLA's stan-dards for boat operator knowledge. Well designedcomprehensive exams assess boat operator knowl-edge equally well as an independent exam or as anexam at the end of a course.

Standard 9.2.2 - Each exam submitted for reviewmust be accompanied with a plan that explainshow the test administrator will seek to maintainexam integrity. The plan must address securityissues commensurate with the purpose of the testand perceived opportunity to commit exam fraud.

Other Examples of Best Practices

The above discussion has identified the majorcomponents of boater safety education in terms of keyboating organizations and agencies. It is also useful toconsider the various types of practices that cut acrossthe organizations and providers. The following ap-proaches have been used frequently within boatersafety education programs in the United States.

Videos

There are many excellent videos on various as-pects of boating safety. Videos can be used in theclassroom, at home, or even online. They can enhancean instructional program or be the means of conveyingthe entire program. Besides the many examples of vid-eos mentioned earlier, some notable examples include:

"Judgement on the Water Sportsman Version" isan instructional video designed for all sportsmenboth fisherman and hunters who use small boats,often on cold water and in inclement weather. Itcombines Small Boat Safety for the Fisherman andSmall Boat Safety for the Hunter into one videothat has a great deal of life-saving information forthis large and at-risk segment of the small boat us-ing public. Roughly 12-1/2 minutes long, thevideo is directed to a segment of the boating publicthat has been challenging to reach - anglers andhunters. Sportsmen and women are an importanttarget for boating safety education and informa-tion. Unfortunately, most do not identify them-selves as boaters. This video speaks directly tothem by capturing their attention with graphic andgripping images and action. It is highly successfulin bringing the boating safety message home tothis group. The video is short enough to use duringa formal meeting, banquet, or casual presentationor it can be used as a stand-alone program at an

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exhibit booth (available through special arrange-ment between the National Safe Boating Counciland Alan Madison Productions).

The state of Utah mailed a video about personalwatercraft safety to every household in the statewith a registered PWC (about 7,000 copies). Thisis a good example of aggressively providing aneducational program to a boating segment that hasbeen identified with a high need for safety educa-tion.

Practice Exams, Quizzes, and Pretests

It has been documented that people learn materialby taking tests without prior study (Hug et al. 2000).Many boating websites include practice tests that boat-ers can take at any time to prepare for a certificationtest or just learn about boating safety.

The Boat Ed website offers a boating safety coursePre-Test. The site suggests that, even though youmay have been boating for a long time, you canstill learn something new about boating safely andthe boating laws in your state.

Loaner lifejackets for kids

Many places have instituted programs providinglife jackets for kids. These programs recognize thatfailure to wear personal flotation devices (PFDs) is aleading cause of boating fatalities. They attack theproblem directly by making suitable PFDs availableand indirectly through the educational message thatPFDs must be age-appropriate and must be worn to beeffective.

Texas has a cooperative program with BOAT/U.S.to provide loaner life jackets for youngsters (SmallCraft Advisory 14 (5): 19).

Colorado has a similar program. "A properlysized life jacket can be the difference between sur-vival and tragedy for a child that falls in the wa-ter," said Ron Dunlap, Boat Safety Coordinator forColorado State Parks." The intent of the programis to make sure kids, especially young kids, haveproperly fitting life jackets while they are boating."(from website)

South Dakota's Department of Game, Fish &Parks offered loaner personal flotation devices thatfit infants and toddlers (Small Craft Advisory 14(5): 19).

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Mascots

Mascots are often used at community events orboating-related special events. This is a popular meansof targeting children for boating safety messages.Some examples include:

Lenny the Lake Lizard this costume is availablefrom the Boating Safety Section of New Mexico'sState Parks agency (who adapted the idea fromArizona).

Charley the Police Boat reminds youngsters aboutthe importance of boating safety (a cooperative ef-fort between state of Oregon and U.S. Coast GuardAuxiliary, and FWP).

Theodore Tugboat (National Safe Boating Coun-cil) travels to different areas and events. It in-cludes a complete online activity center.

Bobby the Boat (Michigan) is a remote controlledelectronic robot used for teaching elementaryschool students boating and water safety. Bobbythe Boat has working navigation lights, horns, si-ren, blue emergency light, an AM/FM cassette,and a remote speaker and microphone system.Bobby is capable of holding a conversation withan audience without the audience being able to seethe operator. The average presentation lasts aboutan hour and consists of how to safely do a waterrescue without the rescuer going into the water andthe importance of 'wearing a life jacket (PFD).Students are taught to reach for a victim, throw alife preserver or go for help, but never go into thewater to perform a rescue.

Incentives

Incentives are an increasingly popular method ofrewarding or recognizing good examples of safe boat-ing behavior.

Many insurance companies offer discounts on boatinsurance to individuals who successfully com-plete boating safety courses. This is a strong in-centive for boaters to seek formal boater educa-tion.

In Ohio, boaters wearing PFDs received floatingkey chains, while kids got a "junior watercraft of-ficer" badge.

Alabama has a cooperative program withMcDonalds that offered youngsters wearing pfdscoupons for free French fries.

Louisiana's "I got caught wearing my lifejacket"program offered boaters a free t-shirt.

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In North Carolina, t-shirts and stickers were givento youngsters wearing PFDs. In addition, glowsticks were given to boaters who did not haveproper lighting equipment and needed to return toshore after dark.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources,in cooperation with AAA of Michigan, StearnsManufacturing and Wellington Water Sports, helda drawing for a free pfd for young boaters. Michi-gan conservation officers handed out postage paiddrawing cards to boaters during the boating sea-son. A drawing was held during the boating seasonand the winner received a free PFD delivered by aconservation officer. For an opportunity to win afree PFD, boaters were advised to contact aMichigan conservation officer on the water duringthe boating season.

Alaska's Boating Safety Program offers free post-ers and bumper stickers featuring the 2001 Na-tional Safe Boating Campaign theme, "Boat Smartfrom the Start - Wear your Life Jackets."

Research Needs

While boating-related agencies and organizationsthroughout the U.S. are currently following many "bestpractices for boater safety education," more research isneeded to document the effectiveness of various prac-tices. At present, the best practices are defined primar-ily in terms of consensus of professional judgment orfrequency of use. Relative to the current NASBLAboating education standards, further study is needed toassist the development of "boat operator knowledgeexam quality criteria." The current standards use ter-minology such as "well-designed comprehensiveexam." These terms need to be defmed and describedthoroughly to assist boating education course and testdesigners with the review process. This researchshould address questions such as:

What is the purpose of boat operator knowledgeexams?

What are the characteristics of high quality examquestions?

How many questions should be on a well-designedcomprehensive exam of boat operator knowledge?

How many questions should cover each section ofthe required NASBLA standards?

What type (multiple choice, true/false, etc.) ofquestions should be used on an exam?

How do you establish test validity?

How do you establish test reliability?

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In its most recent annual conference (September,2000), the National Association of State Boating LawAdministrators passed a formal resolution (Resolution00-1) calling for a Comprehensive Boating SafetyNeeds Assessment. This resolution was intended tostimulate research providing the U.S. Congress with acomplete picture of what is needed to advance boatingsafety in the next 10 years, and was forwarded to theU.S. Coast Guard for their consideration and appropri-ate action. NASBLA also passed Resolution 00-5,calling for research on Exposure Hours of Recreational

Boaters. This resolution recognized the importance ofunderstanding the amount of time various types of wa-tercraft spend on the water and the inconsistency inprevious studies examining the role of exposure hoursin explaining boating accidents and fatalities. Researchis needed to document variation in exposure levels bystate and whether such variances have a direct effect onthe frequency of accidents. Educational efforts canthen be developed to further reduce the frequency andconsequences of boating accidents.

References

Berman, J., Geissler, K., Hayer, B., & Sager, E. 1978.Educational Alternatives for Boating Safety Pro-grams. Rport No: MSR-78-08 ,USCG-D-53-78.Washington D.C.: Wyle Labs Hunsville AL &Coast Guard, Washington, USA.

BOAT/U.S. Foundation for Boating Safety. 1995.Nighttime Boating Accident and Fatality Study. Al-exandria, VA.

Canadian Coast Guard. 1997. Boating Safety CourseStandards Draft Report. Ottawa, Canada.

Cohen, S., Geissler, K., Redick, K., Sager, E., &Whatley, N. 1979. Recreational Boating SafetyEducation Methodology. Washington D.C.: WyleLabs Huntsville AL & Coast Guard, Washington,USA.

Dominguez, P. S., & Ridley, D. 1999. Reassessing theassessment of distance education Courses. T.H.E.Journal, 27(2), 70+.

Glover, E. D., Lane, S. & Wang, M. Q. 1995. Relation-ship of alcohol consumption and recreational boat-ing in Beaufort County, North Carolina. Journal ofDrug Education 25 (2). p. 149.

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Hug, W., Graefe, A., Cottrell, S., Carr-Chellman, A.,Kim, J., & Yuki, M. 2000. Creating NationalBoating Education Standards, Phase Three: NAS-BLA Testing and Distance Learning Recommenda-tions. Report to the National Association of StateBoating Law Administrators.

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U.S. Department of EducationOffice of Educational Research and Improvement

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