title: Effectiveness of the 2005 compulsory personal flotation device (PFD) wearing regulations in reducing drowning deaths among recreational boaters in Victoria, Australia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether the Victorian mandatory personal flotation device wearing regulations that came into effect on 1 December 2005 reduced drowning deaths among recreational boaters in Victoria, Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective population-based 'before and after' study using Victorian coronial data on drowning deaths of occupants of recreational vessels operating in Victorian waters.
  
  
  METHODS
  The annual numbers of deaths in the 5 years after the transition year of the regulations (2005) was compared with the annual numbers of deaths in the 6 years prior to the transition year, using the Mann-Whitney U test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 59 recreational boating drowning deaths in the 6-year preintervention period (1 December 1998 to 30 November 2004) compared with 16 in the 5-year postintervention period (1 December 2005 to 30 November 2010). The analysis showed a significant decrease in drowning deaths among all recreational boaters (U=30.0, p=0.01) and among these strata: vessel occupants aged 0-29 years (U=28.0, p=0.02) and 30-59 years (U=27.5, p=0.02), vessel occupants engaged in pleasure cruising (U=29.0, p=0.01) and in 'other' boating activities (U=25.0, p=0.04), boaters on small powerboats ≤4.8 m in length (U=29.5; p=0.01), boaters on motorised (U=29.5; p=0.01) and sail-powered vessels (U=26.0; p=0.04), and occupants of vessels operating in inland waterways (U=30.0; p=0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings provide further support for the adoption of a regulatory approach to personal flotation device wearing to reduce drowning among recreational boaters.
authors: Coroners Prevention Unit, Coroners Court of Victoria, Victoria, Australia Monash Injury Research Institute, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
authors: Lyndal
authors: L
authors: Bugeja
authors: Monash Injury Research Institute, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
authors: Erin
authors: E
authors: Cassell
authors: Coroners Prevention Unit, Coroners Court of Victoria, Victoria, Australia.
authors: Lisa R
authors: LR
authors: Brodie
authors: School of Population Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors: Simon J
authors: SJ
authors: Walter
mesh_terms: D000056:Accident Prevention / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004332:Drowning / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D011482:Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011998:Recreation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012767:Ships; D013997:Time Factors; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology