i have to write a big research paper for my semester exam for my 10th grade english class, and i was hoping to write it on the topic of jet skis, and whether or not the amount of accidents involving them had to do with inexperienced drivers, or with the machines

i was just wondering if anyone knew of a way where i could get statistics on pwc accidents? like number of accidents? fatalities? average age of riders? stuff like that
thanks for any help

i don't know of any statistics, but propbably the majority of the accidents are caused by ...in no certain order, alcohol, inexperienced riders, inexperienced boaters, recklessness, faulty equipment.in our area u have to be at least 16 years old and possess a boaters safety certificate in order to operate a watercraft. as a matter of fact all pwc operators in pennsylvania must possess a boaters certificate

You had to find out about the boater's license the hard way...huh SMW?

In PA, they just passed another law for boating last year I think.
Anything over 25 horsepower, "Persons born on or after Jan. 1, 1982 may not operate unless they have obtained and have in possession a boating safety education certificate."
10 hp - 25 hp, "Persons 11 years of age or younger may NOT operate. Perssons age 12-15 may not operate unless they have obtained and have in possession a boating safety education certificate."
0-10 hp, no restrictions.

PWC: "Persons 11 years of age or younger may NOT operate. Persons 12 through 15 years of age may NOT operate with any passengers on board 15 years of age or younger or rent a PWC. All PWC operators must obtain and have in their possession a Boating Safety Education Certificate."

If you Google "personal watercraft accident statistics" it will bring up many links to both official and non-official sites. One official site you might find helpful is the PWIA.

I would like to ask a favor of you. Please keep an open mind while doing your research and gather all the 'facts'. There are many people and organizations out there that simply do not like or appreciate personal watercraft. And so they seek out anything negative to use as ammunition for their 'cause'. More often than not their statistics are inflated, exaggerated and/or unfounded. Read everything carefully, thoroughly and make sure the actual source of the statistics you use is legitimate. Thanks!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: RIVA CREW,

You may also want to interview a local wildlife and fisheries official, or whoever has jurisdiction over the waterways in your area. They might have some helpful information. And do what RC says - keep an open mind and represent this community in a fair light.

As a suggestion to you, to help prove that our sport/hobby isn't as dangerous as everyone thinks, is to use other things as comparisons. I.E. compare our statistics to cars, planes, trains, etc. I have always heard "You are more likely to get attacked by a shark than to..." things like this will help to keep us on the good side where we belong. I know I always hated ski's till I rode one. But it was the few idiots that caused my dislike. Represent us well!

I would think a telling statistic that would be noted in all accident reports would be the riders age. While not an actual indicator of experience, there should be a rough correlation between age and experience. That’s not always the case, keep in mind; a 16 year old that has been riding for 2 years will have more skill than a 30 year old that bought his first one last month.

Personally, I think that like cars, safety is a combination of maturity and experience, no matter what age they start. I've seen some teenagers that were responsible riders, and some 40 year old idiots I won't ride around. Good luck with your paper.

dont worry riva, being obsessed with my jet ski, the point of my paper is going shed a good light on jet skis, and point the blame at irresponsible operation, i just have to make sure i do represent both sides of the story in order to make it a good paper.......

yeah i know all about the riding ages and boaters certificate, i am 16 and have been riding since i was 12 when i got my boaters certificate, what i needs is facts that might show that most of the accidents were caused by people who were underage or did not have this certificate

i like the idea about comparing the risks to other things.....i was thinking about comparing it to car accidents among 16 year olds, which has to be a lot higher than accidents on jet skis

thanks a lot for the help

thanks for the ideas everyone, but unfortunately there will be no paper
the english teacher said that this was a boring topic that had no catch!!!!!!!!! oh well

Boring to who? I never knew the research papers had to be of a certain interest level! I was actually wondering the other day how your paper was going and what ya found out. Teachers... always messing up good things, right?

If nothing else, ya learned some good info about your hobby/sport tho.

wow, a teacher that finally has someone interested in doing some reseacrch and is actually excited to do a paper on something that the student enjoys and can relate to. only to be shot down.if u ask me , learning the statistics and safe operation of todays watercraft is far less boring than lil' romeo and what was her name, oh, juliet. parting with my waverunner is such sweet sorrow.

Lil romeo ...isn't he on the kid's channel Nickelodeon?

teach sounds pretty boring to me...

That's just perfect. Teachers taking the creative juices and spoiling them. No wonder school is considered a drag. Your teacher deserves an F for that excuse......

j-me i knew i would have to explain. romeo and juliet. william shakespare

Isn't there a Lil Romeo rapper or tv actor? I agree with ya J-me, but I'm so far outta today's stuff that I have no idea where I heard that name before. Other than ole Billy Shakespeare.

he turned down my pwc topic and someone elses fly fishing topic because they were "boring" but van gogh paintings and human behavior aren't boring???????

i might write about muscle cars.....or the american revolution, because my teacher is british

Why dont you take that Fairy for a ride and see if he changes his panzy mind.