Editing Rafting (section)

==Safety==
[[File:AREA 47 Rafting Imster Schlucht, 2018 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Wetsuit]]s, additional [[personal flotation device]]s (aka lifejackets) and sport [[helmet]]s are mandatory and often imposed by law at least on tours of commercial operators, due to the constant risk of falling off the boat]]
The overall risk level on a rafting trip using proper precautions is low.<ref name="auto"/> Thousands of people safely enjoy rafting trips every year.

Like most outdoor sports, rafting, in general, has become safer over the years. Expertise in the sport has increased, and equipment has become more specialized and improved in quality. As a result, the difficulty rating of most river runs has changed. A classic example is the [[Colorado River]] in the [[Grand Canyon]], which historically had a reputation far exceeding its actual safety statistics. Today the Grand Canyon sees hundreds of safe rafting trips by both [[do it yourself]] rafters and commercial river concessionaires.<ref name="auto">Myers, Thomas, Becker, Christopher, and Stevens, Lawrence, (1999). Fateful Journey: Injury and Death on Colorado River Trips in Grand Canyon. Flagstaff, Arizona, Red Lake Books, pp. 110–111, {{ISBN|978-1-884546-02-0}}</ref>

Rafting companies generally require customers to sign waiver forms indicating understanding and acceptance of potential serious risks. Both do-it-yourself and commercial rafting trips often begin with safety presentations to educate rafting participants about problems that may arise. Depending on the area, safety regulations covering rafting, both for the general do-it-yourself public as well as commercial operators, may exist in legislation. These range from the mandatory wearing of lifejackets, carrying certain equipment such as whistles and throwable flotation devices, to certification of commercial outfitters and their employees.

It is generally advisable to discuss safety measures with a commercial rafting operator before signing on for that type of trip. The required equipment needed is essential information to be considered.

Risks in white water rafting stem from both environmental dangers and from improper behavior. Certain features on rivers are inherently unsafe and have remained consistently so. These would include 'keeper hydraulics', 'strainers' (e.g. fallen trees), dams (especially low-head dams, which tend to produce river-wide keeper hydraulics), undercut rocks, and of course high waterfalls.<!-- Even in safe areas, moving water can always present risks—such as when a swimmer attempts to stand up on a rocky riverbed in strong current, risking foot entrapment.  <<  Can this be confirmed by a second source? --><!-- Irresponsible behavior related to rafting while intoxicated has also contributed to many accidents.  <<  Commonplace knowledge, probably not noteworthy. The information given in the next paragraph is more informative. --><ref>Ghiglieri, Michael, and Myers, Thomas (2001). Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon. Flagstaff, Arizona, Puma Press, p. 212, {{ISBN|978-0-970097-30-9}}</ref>

Typical rafting injuries include trauma from striking an object, [[traumatic stress]] from the interaction of the paddler's positioning and equipment and the force of the water, [[overuse injuries]], submersion/environmental injuries, and non-environmental injuries due to undisclosed medical conditions (such as heart problems).<ref name=Fiore2003/> Studies have shown that injury rates in rafting are relatively low,<ref>{{Cite book | publisher = Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers | isbn = 9783318021646 | last = Heggie | first = Travis W. |author2=Dennis John Caine  | title = Epidemiology of Injury in Adventure and Extreme Sports | year = 2012 }}</ref> though they may be skewed due to a large number of unreported incidents.<ref>{{Cite journal | issn = 1050-642X | volume = 9 | issue = 1 | pages = 18–23 | last = Whisman | first = S A |author2=S J Hollenhorst |author-link2=Steve Hollenhorst | title = Injuries in commercial whitewater rafting | journal = Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine | date = 1999 | pmid = 10336047 | doi = 10.1097/00042752-199901000-00004 | doi-access = free }}</ref>  Fatalities are rare in both commercial and do-it-yourself rafting.<ref name="Fiore2003">{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1580/1080-6032(2003)14[255:IAWWRA]2.0.CO;2 | volume = 14 | issue = 4 | pages = 255–260 | last = Fiore | first = David C. | title = Injuries associated with whitewater rafting and kayaking | journal = Wilderness & Environmental Medicine | year = 2003 | pmid = 14719861 | doi-access = free }}</ref>  Meta-analyses have calculated that fatalities ranged between 0.55<ref>{{Cite news | last = Mason | first = Maggie | title = Whitewater rafting Booms in West Virginia | agency = Associated Press | location = Thurmond, WV | date = 1998-08-23 }}</ref> – 0.86<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Article/view/article_id/1614/ | last = Wittmann | first = Laura | title = Whitewater Is Safer Than You Think | work = American Whitewater | date = 2006-02-05 }}</ref> per 100,000 user days. A [[DDB Worldwide#Rafting Incident, 1987|rare accident with five fatalities]] occurred in 1987 on the [[Chilko River]] in [[British Columbia]], Canada.