Captain Tom Shipp FWC’s Boating and Waterways Section

1. Florida PFD Wear Rate Study Captain Tom Shipp FWC’s Boating and Waterways Section • Florida Fish and Wildlife • Conservation Commission • Division of Law Enforcement

2. Florida PFD Wear Rate Study Outline of presentation Study Description Locations Seasons Protocol Data Analysis Time trend Boat type Seasonality Gender differences Summary

3. THE PFD WEAR RATE STUDY

4. Observational study • Locations • Seasons • Observational protocol

5. Johns Pass (Pinellas County) Primarily a gateway to offshore and near shore boating and fishing Pass-a-Grille Channel (Pinellas County) Transit point for boats using the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and other inland water bodies Lake Shipp (Polk County) Part of a chain of lakes and site of two boat ramps Kissimmee River (Polk County) River waterway that connects several large lakes in central Florida Locations • Patrol, Protect, Preserve

6. The climate of North and Central Florida is humid subtropical. South Florida has a tropical climate On average, wintertime lows dip down to near 40 degrees Fahrenheit at Tallahassee in January to 65 °F in Key West while daytime highs range from 64 °F at Tallahassee to 77 °F at Miami During the summer, minima range from near 70 °F in northern Florida to near 80 °F in the Keys. High temperatures during the summer average in the lower 90s Fahrenheit statewide. Some boaters claim that wearing PFDs is uncomfortable in hot weather, which may account for seasonal differences in wear rates Seasons • Florida Fish and Wildlife • Conservation Commission • MyFWC.com

7. Protocol • Trained observers and specific worksheets to record observations for later consolidation and analysis • Observations collected only on weekends • Observations taken all hours between sunrise and sunset • Observations taken in fair to good weather days • Florida Fish and Wildlife • Conservation Commission • MyFWC.com

8. Time trend (open motorboats) Boat type Boat type and Occupant Age Seasonality (open motorboats) Gender differences (open motorboats) Data Analysis • Florida Fish and Wildlife • Conservation Commission • MyFWC.com

9. Weak (and non-significant) evidence for year on year improvement Strong evidence of seasonality 2010 data likely to be informative Time trend (open motorboats) • Florida Fish and Wildlife • Conservation Commission • MyFWC.com

10. Data confirm results from national surveys for boat type Significant differences in adult wear rates for open motorboats and cabin motorboats Risk perception? Ease of upset? Boat type • Florida Fish and Wildlife • Conservation Commission • MyFWC.com

11. Both boat type and age of occupant differ significantly in terms of PFD wear rate (pooled males and females) Wear rates significantly higher for youths, but still differ by type of boat PFD wear mandatory for children ≤6 years of age in Florida Boat type and Occupant Age • Florida Fish and Wildlife • Conservation Commission • MyFWC.com

12. Results generally consistent with National Study (JSI) results (e.g., open motorboat wear rates higher than cabin motorboats, youth [<18 years of age] wear rates greater than adult wear rates) Sample size limitations preclude further comparisons among boat types in Florida study Boat type and Occupant Age • Florida Fish and Wildlife • Conservation Commission • MyFWC.com

13. No year on year trend, but statistically significant seasonal variations (pooled genders) Results have potential significance for national analyses Is this explained by comfort, awareness, different user demographics? Seasonality (open motorboats) • Florida Fish and Wildlife • Conservation Commission • MyFWC.com

14. Significant differences in wear rates between adult males and females Consistent with some other studies, but counter-intuitive Differences in risk perception or actual risks? Gender differences (open motorboats) • Florida Fish and Wildlife • Conservation Commission • MyFWC.com

15. Although adult females have significantly lower wear rates than adult males in Florida, rates do not differ significantly by gender for youths (< 18 years of age) In part this reflects present Florida laws Gender differences (open motorboats) • Florida Fish and Wildlife • Conservation Commission • MyFWC.com

16. No gender differences noted in Minnesota study Overall wear rate 2% higher in females Voluntary wear rate was the same Women more likely to wear PFDs in Canadian study Canadian study (quoted in Will it Float) indicated that self-reported use of PFDs higher for females than males for most boat types Literature on gender differences—JSI studies • Florida Fish and Wildlife • Conservation Commission • MyFWC.com

17. Women more likely to wear PFDs in Australian study “The female PFD wear rate was consistently higher than the male rate. Overall the rate was 3-6% higher, with the rate for small vessels being 4-9% higher and for larger vessels the rate was 1-5% higher.” Women more likely to wear PFDs in OR/WA study Relative prevalence for wearing PFDs was 1.5 for females compared to males Literature on gender differences—JSI studies • Florida Fish and Wildlife • Conservation Commission • MyFWC.com

18. In two years of the study we see the same general finding that adult males are more likely to wear life jackets than adult females in each year of the study. During the same time frame we see strong indication of seasonality effects on PFD wear rates. 2010 preliminary data is being organized for evaluation. Summary • Florida Fish and Wildlife • Conservation Commission • MyFWC.com