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Boating is a form of recreation that most all of us enjoy. Whether a weekend sailor or a seasoned captain, boating is an enjoyable outdoor activity. But like most outdoor activities, boating requires a consideration of safety rules and practices. The following list of "Captain" responsibilities are provided in an effort to make your boating recreation safe and enjoyable. As skipper of the boat, it is your responsibility:

To have your hull checked by a qualified person for cracks and dry rot.
To have your motor and/or engine tuned and in top running condition at all times.
To neither power nor load your boat beyond its labeled specifications.
To see that all legally required equipment is aboard, even on rented boats.
To have adequate knowledge of boat handling, cruise anticipated, probable hazards to be encountered and weather to be expected.
To know your guests' abilities and their health. You should inform them of shipboard rules and instruct them on use of equipment.
To assist others if not endangering your own craft, or to stand by until other help arrives.
To train at least one other person to operate the boat in case you become injured or incapacitated for any reason.
To keep a sharp and constant watch on maneuvering of other boats in your area.
To never leave port under the influence of alcohol or drugs or when you know you are not physically able to.

The above list is provided courtesy of the Erie Insurance Group. Patton Insurance offers a variety of insurance products that provide comprehensive coverage for liability, financial loss due to injury, emergency towing, and loss to you boat. We can certainly provide a plan that will fit your needs. For more information, please contact your Patton agent.

We are all concerned with teenage safety and the greatest threat to a teenager's safety is inexperienced driving. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the problem of teenage crashes is highest among 16-year-olds, the age when most beginners get licenses. If a teen in your household is licensed, or is about to be, this information, provided by the Institute, is for you.

Crashes involving 16-year-old drivers aren't like those involving older drivers. They even differ from crashes involving drivers only a year or two older. For one thing, 16-year-olds get in to trouble trying to handle unusual driving situations, even small emergencies. More often than when older people drive, such situations turn into disasters. The essential problem is that the young people bring both inexperience at the wheel and the immaturity of their 16 years to the complex and dangerous task of driving.

In 1993, a total of 1,269 people died in crashes involving 16-year-old drivers. The deaths break down like this: 454 drivers 16 years old died; 447 passengers died - 367 teens, 80 people of other ages, 281 people died in other vehicles - that is, they struck or were struck by the vehicles driven by the 16 year-olds; 66 deaths were pedestrians; 21 were other/unknown.

Fatal crashes among 16-year-olds differ from the general population in several ways:

Driver Error: It's one thing to learn how many crash deaths involve 16-year-old drivers. But are the beginning drivers culpable in their crashes? Do we too quickly assume errors by beginning drivers? The short answer is that our assumptions are correct. Much higher proportions of 16-year-olds are responsible for their fatal crashes, compared with older drivers. Eighty-two percent of 16-year-old drivers in fatal crashes during 1993 made at least one driving error that contributed to the crashes. This compares with 62 percent of drivers 20-49 years old.

Speeding: This thrill-seeking behavior shows up again and again. Police reports indicate that 37 percent of all 16-year-old drivers in fatal crashes during 1993 were reportedly speeding or, if not exceeding the limit, going too fast for road conditions. This proportion drops steadily with age - only 23 percent of drivers 20-49 years old were reportedly speeding when their fatal crashes occurred in 1993.

Single-Vehicle Crashes: Forty-four percent of the 16-year-old drivers were in fatal crashes that involved only the teen's vehicle. The vehicle generally left the road and overturned or struck an object like a tree or pole. Among 16-year-old drivers, this is by far the biggest crash type. In contrast, only 29 percent of fatal crashes with 20-49 year-olds at the wheel in 1993 were single-vehicle.

Alcohol Involvement: Another distinction of fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers is a positive one. The rate of alcohol involvement is low. Only 5 percent of all 16-year-old drivers killed in 1993 crashes had blood alcohol concentrations of 0.10 percent or more. This compares with 28 percent for older teenagers (17-19 years old), and 48 percent for drivers 20-49 years old.

Safety Belt Use: Many of the 16-year-olds who die in crashes aren't using belts. In fact, a higher proportion of teenagers in general don't use belts, compared with older drivers. This is the finding of surveys conducted at high schools.

Passenger Deaths: It isn't just 16-year-old drivers who are dying in disproportionate numbers. Two out of every three teens who died as passengers in 1993 crashes were traveling in vehicles driven by otherteens, and 16-year-olds are particularly implicated. Fatal crashes involving drivers this age are much more likely to occur with three or more occupants in the vehicle (and the occupants are usually other teens) than are crashes involving older drivers.

The good news is that there are positive steps parents can take to improve the situation for their children. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recommends that parents:

Give 16-year-olds as much driving time supervised by an adult as possible, even after the teenagers get their licenses.
Be aware of the high risk when 16-year-old drivers and their peers travel together, without adults. Make new drivers wait to go with friends until they get plenty of supervised driving time. Don't assume your 16-year-old drives the same way with peers in the car as when you're present.
With or without a curfew law, prohibit late night driving that's unsupervised. Teen outings late at night tend to be recreational and pose more risk. (Nine states have laws restricting night driving by teens younger than specified ages - Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and South Dakota.)
Don't assume that belt use when you're in the car with your 16-year-old means belts are used all the time, especially when your child is out with peers. Remember that belt use is lower among teenagers than older people, so insist on belts all the time.
Choose safe cars. Large ones are safer than small ones, and air bags enhance safety. Avoid performance cars - the combination of high performance and a young driver is deadly.
Prohibit driving after drinking any alcohol. Even though this is a factor in only 10 percent of crashes involving 16-year-old drivers, it becomes a much worse problem among older teens.

Feel free to contact your Patton Insurance agent for more information on teenage drivers in your home. We have a number of resources available that can help improve the safety of your teen behind the wheel and give you greater piece of mind.