Boating Brings People Together,
Safely. Nationwide Mutual Insurance of Columbus, Ohio, released a survey of powersports enthusiasts that includes power boaters, bass boaters, RV owners and motorcyclists. The survey reveals that among these various powersporting activities, power boating and fishing bring people together more effectively and helps people escape more that their powersports counterparts. Nationwide's survey measured the experience of power boaters and bass boaters compare to other powersports enthusiasts. Boating is shown to be a family activity, with 83 percent of both power boaters and 73 percent of bass boaters saying that their vehicle allows them to spend time with their family. More significantly, 66 percent of power boaters and 59 percent of bass boaters said their vehicles allow them to reconnect with their friends. This compares to only 50 percent of RV owners and 43 percent of motorcyclists who said that their sport allowed them to do the same. |
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The quality of the leisure time spent by boaters on their craft was also measured in Nationwide's survey. The survey reports 79 percent of bass boaters and 76 percent of power boaters said they use their vehicles to escape from the fast pace of life. Another statistic suggests that we may not be entirely successful: only 49 percent of bass boaters and 45 percent of power boaters refrain from using their cell phones and Blackberries for business purposes while on boat trips. Boaters also responded that purchasing a boat was motivated by using the craft to spend time with family and friends. The survey shows 65 percent of power boaters and 54 percent of bass boaters originally bought the boat in order to share an activity with someone about whom they care. Most importantly, Nationwide's survey of powersporters illustrates that boaters are the more cautious when it comes to safety: 92 percent of power boaters and 87 percent of bass boaters said they place a great deal of emphasis on operating their vehicle safely. These are the two highest percentages among all powersports user groups. Also 80 percent of power boaters and 79 percent of bass boaters have participated in a safety course. These were again the two highest rates of response among powersports categories. Seventy-nine percent of the motorcyclists and bass boaters who responded to the survey said they had completed a safety course. However, only 56 percent of RV owners reported that they completed a safety course. What conclusion can be drawn from nationwide's survey? Most of us boaters already knew the conclusions. we buy boats and take to the water because of the quality time boats allow us to spend with our friends and family. The survey also shows that boaters are, for the most part, safe, that we take our sport seriously. Most of us invest time and effort in safety training and make safe boating a priority. Boaters are a diverse group brought together by their enthusiasm for being out on the water, for being together with our family and friends and for enjoying our pastime without taking it for granted. |
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