Progressive Insurance Releases Results of Safety Survey

Progressive Insurance last month conducted a boating safety survey of nearly 2,000 boaters in the top 10 states in terms of registrations and has released the results.

Here’s a look at some of the more noteworthy numbers:

•Boaters in Minnesota (44 percent) and Wisconsin (45 percent) were more likely than boaters in other Top 10 states to have struck a rock with their prop.

•Ohio boaters were the most likely to report having hit a dock (38 percent).

•Boaters in New York were more likely than their peers to experience “boat rage” (7 percent).

•Operators in North Carolina, however, reported the highest percentage (52 percent) of having expressed their frustration using “colorful” language.

•Nearly a quarter of Michigan and Texas boaters admitted to leaving out the drain plug.

•Wisconsin boaters are the least likely to take a safety course (23 percent).

•37 percent of North Carolina boaters report having been boarded by the United States Coast Guard for a safety check.

Additionally, on the national level, more than 80 percent of boaters say they consider themselves experienced, but only 50 percent say they have taken a boating safety course. The survey results said that 27 percent of boaters report feeling confident with basic boating terminology. Overall, the most common mishap that boaters across the country admitted was having forgotten the sunscreen (45 percent).