Harris said that national boating safety managers have noticed that the stretch of the Colorado River — and lakes on it — from Lake Powell to Mexico is easily the deadliest and most accident-prone in the country, if it were considered as one continuous body.

Harris said the smooth lower Colorado, Lake Mead and Lake Havasu are especially "known as places to party (for Californians), so there are a lot of accidents — especially those that are related to alcohol. Lake Powell on the north has more of a family atmosphere."

Ironically, the rough-and-tumble upper Colorado, known for its whitewater rafting, has only a relative handful of serious accidents reported. That includes just 10 accidents (and four fatalities) in Utah's portion of the upper Colorado during the decade.

Accident types

Most accidents in Utah likely could be avoided with a little extra caution.

The most common is collision between boats, accounting for about a third of all Utah boat accidents.

Another 9 percent of accidents are collisions with fixed objects; 9 percent involve grounding boats; 8 percent are skier mishaps; 7 percent are falls overboard; and 6 percent involve capsizing.

The data show that 90 percent of accidents happened when visibility was good; 55 percent occurred when waters were calm.

What actions contributed to such accidents?

"Operator inexperience" was listed as a factor in 16 percent of Utah accidents. (In fact, data show that one of every five accidents involved an operator with fewer than 10 hours of experience.)

"Operator inattention" was listed in 15 percent; excessive speed, 13 percent; no proper lookout, 10 percent; weather, 9 percent; and machinery/equipment failure, 8 percent.

Harris notes that many of those categories are somewhat similar and might be lumped into one super category called something like "operator carelessness."

"That, by far, would be behind most accidents," he said — and it is largely preventable.

Of note, alcohol was listed as a factor in only 3 percent of boat accidents in Utah — far below the 12 percent average nationally. Harris said that is likely because of Utah's large population of non-drinking members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Education helps

Harris says a good way to cut the number of accidents and deaths may be to mandate boater education.

After all, data show that 94 percent of Utah boat operators involved in fatal accidents had no formal boating education from such groups as the state, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Red Cross or U.S. Power Squadrons.