This is a total of all whitewater boating fatalities. You can see for kayaks, in the earlier years, there were more fatalities as more got into the sport. Then there is a trending down. I would hypothesize that in the years 2010-2012 that number will be trending upward as more people are involved in the sport than ever before......




2008 Whitewater Boating Fatalities


The number of whitewater accidents declined in the second half of 2008. Between July and December American Whitewater received reports of 6 kayak, 5 canoe, and 9 rafting fatalities. The number of whitewater kayaking deaths this year, 16, is somewhat higher than in recent years. This is probably due to the increased presence of recreational kayaks on whitewater. This year's 8 canoeing deaths are about average, but the total of 29 rafting fatalities is the second highest number on record. The rafting number is always pushed upwards during Western big-water years. There were 12 commercial deaths, which seems high. Strainers, dams, and high water flushes continued to be major issues for both experienced and inexperienced paddlers.

Click image for larger version.  Name: 1994 to 2008 kayak death summary.jpg  Views: 2  Size: 70.6 KB  ID: 14038






NB: Although American Whitewater does not receive reports of all whitewater accidents in the USA, we think our list of whitewater kayak accidents is pretty complete. This table includes some fatalities of Americans paddling abroad.


http://www.nrsweb.com/safety_tips/wh...fatalities.asp




*****Caveat, the above list does not include ALL kayak deaths for this period. The actual number could be higher and is subject to revision as I do more research.