Michigan Reported 36 Boating Deaths in 2008

A new report says boating deaths in Michigan last year reached a six-year high, with 36 fatalities reported.

The Michigan Association of Insurance Agents says in its annual report that the 36 deaths in 2008 is up from 35 the year before and the most since 2002, when 38 deaths were reported.

Boating accidents also increased last year, to 201 from 193 reported in 2007.

The group says most accidents occur on Sunday afternoons in July. The most common accidents result from collisions with other vessels, falling overboard and capsizing.

Spokesman Gary Mitchell says bad things usually happen when people combine alcohol and operating a boat.

The report says there were 927,914 boat registrations in Michigan in 2008, up from 830,835 the year before.