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0 <br />i4.-7Ali <br />Indian River County Manatee Protection and Boating Safety Comprehensive Management Pian <br />Spatial Patterns <br />Aerial surveys indicate that the majority of the boat traffic is outside the marked channels. <br />Boats also tended to congregate in areas that contained inlets to the ocean. <br />Traffic Origins <br />According to the boating; study, the largest portion of on -water traffic is generated by boat <br />ramps, followed by private docks and marinas. The boat ramps located at Riverside Park and <br />MacWilliams/Boat Basin Park, both of which are located within the City of Vero Beach, are <br />responsible for contributing the most on -water traffic. <br />For private docks the most frequently observed boat was the Class 1 powerboat. The shoreline <br />area from Vero Beach to Fort Pierce contributed the majority of the traffic. "At present <br />shoreline locations are at approximately 50 per cent occupancy. Complete occupancy would <br />potentially double the number of watercraft that would use the interinlet waterway." <br />Marinas contributed the least amount of boat traffic in the study; however, the marinas were <br />not at storage capacity. "At storage capacity they would potentially contribute approximately <br />1300 additional watercraft to the interinlet traffic." <br />BOATING SAFETY <br />Boat Accident Statistics <br />Reportable boating accidents and injuries documented in Indian Diver County totaled 67 and <br />32, respectively, between 1991 and 1995. A "reportable boating accident" is defined as <br />involving at least $500 in damage, a fatality, a missing person or an injury which requires <br />treatment beyond basic first aid. <br />In 1995, three accidents and two injuries were reported. Ira 1996, six accidents and two <br />injuries were reported for the portion of the IRL lying; within Indian River County. Of these, <br />three accidents were reported in Sebastian between Channel Markers 64 and 68. Table 3 lists <br />the accidents reported in the IRL in Indian River County for the years 1995-1996. <br />The county's accident rate and fatality rate for 1995 were 131.46 (accidents per 100,000 <br />registered vessels) and 0.0, respectively. Both of these rates are considerably lower than the <br />state's accident rate of 187.40, and the state's fatality rate of 10.93. The average number of <br />accidents involving; recreational vessels has remained relatively stable between 1991 and 1995 <br />in Indian River County. However, an increase in the number of registered vessels in <br />conjunction with the proliferation of personal watercraft (PWG) in recent years may indicate a <br />trend toward more accidents and injuries. <br />Community 1}evetopmeat Department Page 25 <br />