[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 110 (Wednesday, July 11, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1486-E1487]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE RECREATIONAL BOATING COMMUNITY AND THE BOATING INDUSTRY 
                          OF THE UNITED STATES

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. LINDA T. SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 25, 2007

  Ms. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 
505, recognizing the

[[Page E1487]]

contributions of the recreational boating community and the boating 
industry to the prosperity of the United States. This resolution, 
introduced by my colleague Ron Klein, is an important way to highlight 
the vital role that the boating industry plays in the U.S. economy: it 
generates more than $39,000,000,000 annually as it provides 380,000 
American jobs.
  However, I also rise to draw the House's attention to the serious 
problem of propeller injuries associated with recreational boating. A 
typical three blade propeller running at 3,200 rpm can inflict 9,600 
impacts on the human body in just one minute, and a 13-inch blade can 
travel from head to toe on a person of average height in less than one 
tenth of a second. Given the speed at which these propellers turn, it 
is no surprise that propeller injuries frequently result in 
dismemberment and death.
  According to the United States Coast Guard Annual Boating Statistics 
Reports, there were 239 accidents involving propellers in 2005 alone. 
Thirty-one of these injuries were fatal, and the rest were typically 
very severe. Sadly, the number of propeller accidents may even be 
larger than the report describes. The Coast Guard acknowledges that 
many boating accidents go unreported, either because victims are 
unaware of regulations requiring them to report or because the trauma 
of an accident leaves them little time to think about reporting.
  I commend the efforts of the brave men and women of the U.S. Coast 
Guard, but I recognize that they lack the resources or manpower to 
maintain accurate records of recreational boating accidents. A 1992 
study carried out by Johns Hopkins University found that, compared to 
the average one hundred propeller-related accidents reported by the 
Coast Guard; each year between 1976 and 1990, the actual number may 
have been closer to 2,000 to 3,000 per year.
  As we rise to honor the contributions of the recreational boating 
community, we must also commit to doing more to protect the members of 
that community. We must pay special attention to children and young 
adults, the boating community's most vulnerable members, who sustain 40 
percent of all propeller injuries.
  When considering how we might reduce propeller injuries, one 
potential area of improvement lies in the make-up of the National 
Boating Safety Advisory Council (NBSAC), which consults with the U.S. 
Coast Guard in setting federal regulations. Ensuring that a sufficient 
portion of the NBSAC membership has no direct or indirect financial 
ties to the boating industry would be a step toward ensuring the airing 
of a diversity of views and improving the efficacy of the consultations 
and resulting federal regulations.
  I invite my colleagues to take this opportunity to learn more about 
propeller injuries and to consider how we might work together to 
minimize them while continuing to support this vital industry.

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