I think this topic warrants a new thread, separate from the other one on the recent two deaths at the Numbers.
5 commercial deaths is too much. Way too much.
I think the law says customers assume the risk, but if there are so many death, there's something wrong either with what is communicated to customers about the risk, the section of the river that is run, the skill of the guides, or the law. Can someone do approximate statistics on how much greater the chances are of dieing per hour spent rafting on the Ark compared to per hour spent driving? I bet the ratio is high, like 100 to 1.
I think commercial rafting can be made much safer. The guides probably need to be better (and better paid!), and more safety precautions, such as safety kayakers. Also, perhaps the companies can do a better job of weeding out people from a run on the Numbers who aren't prepared for a tough swim.
I agree with much of what is said below, except for that we can't accept the status quo. The death rate is too high and there are some things that can be done to reduce it.
I'm really interested in that statistic on how much greater the chances are of dieing per hour spent rafting on the Ark compared to per hour spent driving.
I can probably get a pretty good estimate. How many people raft the Ark each year? Say 250,000? Is the average number of deaths in a year 3? Let's say the average trip is 2 hours long actually on the water moving. That's 3 deaths in 500,000 customer hours, or 1 in 170,000 hours.
The 2001 car mileage death rate of 1.54 fatalities per 100 million vehicle-miles of travel. If we say the average overall speed is 40 mph, that's 1.5 deaths in 2.5 million vehicle hours, or 1 death per 1.7 million vehicle hours.
So the increased death rate of rafting over driving is 10:1. That's not that bad at all. Perhaps 3 deaths per year isn't that bad. But, I still think some simple things can be done to make it safer, and should be done, especially for the tough stretches like the Numbers.
5 commercial deaths is too much. Way too much.
I think the law says customers assume the risk, but if there are so many death, there's something wrong either with what is communicated to customers about the risk, the section of the river that is run, the skill of the guides, or the law. Can someone do approximate statistics on how much greater the chances are of dieing per hour spent rafting on the Ark compared to per hour spent driving? I bet the ratio is high, like 100 to 1.
I think commercial rafting can be made much safer. The guides probably need to be better (and better paid!), and more safety precautions, such as safety kayakers. Also, perhaps the companies can do a better job of weeding out people from a run on the Numbers who aren't prepared for a tough swim.
I agree with much of what is said below, except for that we can't accept the status quo. The death rate is too high and there are some things that can be done to reduce it.
Yea, some freak accidents happen. And some people with medical conditions who shouldn't be on the river also die. But, this death rate is too high.
I'm really interested in that statistic on how much greater the chances are of dieing per hour spent rafting on the Ark compared to per hour spent driving.
I can probably get a pretty good estimate. How many people raft the Ark each year? Say 250,000? Is the average number of deaths in a year 3? Let's say the average trip is 2 hours long actually on the water moving. That's 3 deaths in 500,000 customer hours, or 1 in 170,000 hours.
The 2001 car mileage death rate of 1.54 fatalities per 100 million vehicle-miles of travel. If we say the average overall speed is 40 mph, that's 1.5 deaths in 2.5 million vehicle hours, or 1 death per 1.7 million vehicle hours.
So the increased death rate of rafting over driving is 10:1. That's not that bad at all. Perhaps 3 deaths per year isn't that bad. But, I still think some simple things can be done to make it safer, and should be done, especially for the tough stretches like the Numbers.