pmcMMWR Morb Mortal Wkly RepMMWR Morb Mortal Wkly RepWRMorbidity and Mortality Weekly Report0149-21951545-861XCenters for Disease Control and Prevention356171409153462mm7121a510.15585/mmwr.mm7121a5Quick StatsQuickStats: Percentage Distribution of Deaths Involving Injuries from Recreational and Nonrecreational Use of Watercraft,* by Month — United States, 2018–2020Reported by: Matthew F. Garnett, MPH, Mgarnett@cdc.gov, 301-458-4383; Merianne R. Spencer, MPH.275202227520227121720720https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/All material in the MMWR Series is in the public domain and may be used and reprinted without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.

During 2018–2020, 1,508 deaths occurred involving injuries from recreational and nonrecreational use of watercraft. The percentage of deaths each month ranged from 3.0% in December to 16.6% in July. Most deaths (68.6%) occurred during May–September.

Source: National Vital Statistics System, Mortality Data. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/deaths.htm

Deaths were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision underlying cause of death codes V90–V94 (water transport) for a total of 1,508 deaths during 2018–2020. Water transport includes recreational and nonrecreational use of motorized (e.g., merchant ship, ferry, passenger ship, fishing boat, and jet ski) and nonmotorized (e.g., canoe, kayak, inflatable craft, surfboard, and windsurfer) watercraft. Deaths resulted from drowning, submersion, and other types of injuries. All water transport deaths were unintentional.