NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
PFD Stats was Re: On teaching seamanship
From: Dave Weilacher
Date: 2004 Oct 14, 16:46 -0500
From: Dave Weilacher
Date: 2004 Oct 14, 16:46 -0500
This is meant as a 'just for thought' observation. "In 70% of all drownings the victim was not wearing a PFD." I have often wondered what percent of people who fall in the water unintentionally (read without PFD) actually drown. Seems to me like that is the meaningful statistic to know. Or - what percent of the 70% would have lived had they been wearing a PFD? Can you extrapolate from your stats that 3 out of every 10 of that 70% would die anyway? There is much about the use of statistics that I distrust. Here is my favorite: 80% of all statistics are made up on the spot to support whatever argument is being made. -----Original Message----- From: BillSent: Oct 14, 2004 4:30 PM To: NAVIGATION-L@LISTSERV.WEBKAHUNA.COM Subject: Re: On teaching seamanship > I find the serious sailers(blowboat operators of all sizes)to be much more > competant in seamanship then are motor(stinkpot)vessel operators.At least > out here on the west coast of the states. From government figures, 2001 or 2002?, there were almost 700 U.S. boating fatalities that year, and they were on the rise. Only 4% were sailing related (auxiliary and non auxiliary). Referencing the 700 figure, in 70% of all drownings the victim was not wearing A PFD. Of course that begs the question, what is the ratio of sailboat use to powerboat use? If anyone has that figure (or ownership--My SWAG would be 20-25% sailboats) would love to have it so I can put the 4% figure in perspective for my classes. Bill Dave Weilacher .IBM AS400 RPG contract programmer