The safety story this data tells
Ranked by what actually goes wrong here
These are ordered by Intracoastal Waterway's own events and the circumstances that recur in its incident narratives, starting with the one the data says matters most. They map to what the Recademics Florida course teaches.
The strongest signal here
Give docks, bridges, and pilings room
62% of the reports here (536 accidents, 1.6x the statewide rate) involve striking a fixed object like a dock, bridge, piling, or seawall. Approach structures at idle, account for current setting you sideways, and never cut a blind turn near a bridge.
From the incident reports
Own your wake
22% of the reports here (192 accidents, 1.8x the statewide rate) involve wake. You are responsible for the damage and injury your wake causes. Drop to idle in no-wake zones and near moored boats, and brace passengers when another boat's wake rolls through.
From the incident reports
Run the markers, especially in low light
11% of the reports here (96 accidents, 1.5x the statewide rate) mention channel markers or navigation aids. Learn the local buoyage before you launch, keep red markers to the correct side coming in from open water, and slow where the channel narrows.
From the incident reports
Stop, render aid, exchange information
6% of the reports here (56 accidents, 1.5x the statewide rate) here were hit-and-run. Florida law requires you to stop and help. A collision you report is a citation; one you flee is a felony.
From the incident reports
Wear the life jacket
Drowning accounts for 20 of the deaths recorded here, and 85% of those victims were not wearing a life jacket. A life jacket only works worn. Florida requires every child under 6 to wear one on a vessel under 26 feet underway, and one wearable PFD for every person aboard.
