Most boating deaths in a decade last year in Minnesota

Most boating deaths in a decade last year in Minnesota

Jon Collins · Jan 4, 2016

The number of people who died in boating accidents in Minnesota last year was the highest in a decade.

Eighteen people died in boating incidents in 2015, according to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). That's the largest yearly total since 2005, when 23 people died.

The majority of victims last year were adult men who were not wearing life jackets, said Debbie Munson Badini, state DNR boat and water safety coordinator.



"They might not be paying attention, they could be bringing in a fish, they aren't wearing a life jacket and they overestimate their ability to swim," Munson Badini said. "A lot of it is just simply falling into the water."
State law requires life jackets on boats for children under the age of 10. Many of the deaths in 2015 also occurred during colder months.

"We would like to see all boaters wearing life jackets, no matter their age, especially when they're boating on cold water," Munson Badini said. "That significantly increases your chances of dying, when you fall into cold water."
Another reason for the increase in deaths last year may have been the longer-than-usual boating season.

"It started very early in the spring, it continued on until early November," Munson Badini said. "Just the fact that there are more people, there are more hours spent on the water, it just statistically tells you that you're going to have a bump in some of those things."
Boating deaths in Minnesota have generally been declining since the mid-1970s, according to state records, partly due to tougher enforcement against those who boat while intoxicated.

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