'US: Latest 2012 laser/aircraft incident statistics'

FYI - We are definitely not off to a good start so far in 2012 here in the US (the plague of morons with lasers continues to increase)

US: Latest 2012 laser/aircraft incident statistics | Aviation incidents, Statistics | LaserPointerSafety.com
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Year-to-Date Comparison
The 610 reported laser/aircraft incidents thus far in 2012 compare with 545 incidents during the same period in 2011, approximately 322 incidents during the same period in 2010, and approximately 227 incidents during the same period in 2009.

Projected 2012 Estimate
If the current rate of laser/aircraft incidents continues on the same trend as last year (2011), it is projected that there would be 4,019 incidents in calendar year 2012. This would be a 11.9% increase compared with the 3,591 incidents in calendar year 2011.

Adverse Effects
In ten of the 610 laser/aircraft incidents (1.6%), a pilot or aircraft occupant reported a temporary adverse visual effect such as flashblindness, afterimage, blurry vision, eye irritation and/or headache. In two of the ten eye incidents, the pilot went for a medical eye examination.

Total incidents, 2004 to date
There have been approximately 10,865 laser/aircraft incidents reported to FAA, from January 1 2004 through March 15 2012.

Yearly Comparison
Here are the number of incidents reported to FAA in recent years:

•2011: 3,591 incidents (9.8 per night)
•2010: 2,836 incidents (7.7 per night)
•2009: 1,527 incidents (4.2 per night)
•2008: 949 incidents (2.6 per night)
•2007: 639 incidents (1.8 per night)
•2006: 384 incidents (1.1 per night)
•2005: 283 incidents (0.78 per night)
•2004: 46 incidents (0.13 per night)
I would like to take this opportunity to personally commend Patrick Murphy for his tireless dedication toward educating the general public about safe laser pointer use as stated within his LaserPointerSafety.com web site's mission statement:
About LaserPointerSafety.com
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Purpose

This website provides facts and educated analysis to promote the general public’s safe and responsible use of lasers and laser pointers.

We strive to be a comprehensive resource for laser safety information relevant to the general public -- especially in the area of aircraft safety.
LaserPointerSafety.com's educational message is enumerated in the following call for simple common sense laser pointer use:

What is an FAA-reported “laser incident”?: This is defined as an aircraft pilot seeing one or more laser beams during flight. A mid-2011 study by Rockwell Laser Industries of 6,903 incidents reported to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration found that in 27% of incidents, beams entered the cockpit (passed through the windscreen). For example, in 2011, there were 3,591 incidents of which approximately 970 (27%) involved beams in the cockpit.

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While the numbers are terrible, I think it's important to recognize that less then a third of the reports involve a laser beam actually striking the cockpit.

Damn 46 in 2004 and now 3600

Flaminpyro said:

Damn 46 in 2004 and now 3600

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Dont frown. ALL of us help this number increase everyday.

Who the hell are pointing all these lasers? I haven't even seen a single laser beam in the sky anywhere in the 3 different towns I've lived all my years in Canada. In fact, I have yet to see someone with a laser other than me. I'm always the lonely beam at night

Dont take this the wrong way, I AM NOT insulting Canadians.

I've been to Canada, and you guys are in the dark age when it come to technology. The US is on the cutting edge, therefore we have more to play with. Its an addiction here. So naturally more incidents happen here, than up north. People are different too. They are spoiled brats, that have nothing better to do.

Tech_Junkie said:

Dont take this the wrong way, I AM NOT insulting Canadians.

I've been to Canada, and you guys are in the dark age when it come to technology. The US is on the cutting edge, therefore we have more to play with. Its an addiction here. So naturally more incidents happen here, than up north. People are different too. They are spoiled brats, that have nothing better to do.

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Well, certain things in Canada such as the banking system I can attest to being primitive. But in terms of personal technology, I think we're about the same.

I think I'll probably be more at home in America than Canada. Things I like and talk about, most people here don't share the same interests: such as lasers, computers, politics (practically no one here gives a shit about politics), being efficient (things are really inefficient here), speed (things are slow around here, cheque takes about 5 business days to clear, like wtf?) lol but other than that, I <3 Canada

Please let's not forget another contributing factor... Awareness.

Ten years ago, it didn't really exist. If a pilot saw a beam of light, he probably wouldn't bother to report it unless it actually struck the plane.

Now days the pilots are reporting every single sighting.

Ryanrenesis said:

Well, certain things in Canada such as the banking system I can attest to being primitive. But in terms of personal technology, I think we're about the same.

I think I'll probably be more at home in America than Canada. Things I like and talk about, most people here don't share the same interests: such as lasers, computers, politics (practically no one here gives a shit about politics), being efficient (things are really inefficient here), speed (things are slow around here, cheque takes about 5 business days to clear, like wtf?) lol but other than that, I <3 Canada

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I drove up to Sherbrook in an old VW Rabbit with a 1000W (conservative) MTS Pro system bolted in place of the back seat. It was one of those cars you could hear thumping a mile away. I pulled up to a local auto sound business to take a look at what was available because at the time the dollar was strong. The stuff I saw was mediocre at best. No top name brands, and very limited technology. I asked why and was told that because of import restrictions and what they had was the best available.

I walked back to my little $hit box of a car, and turned up some Type O Negative. Literally the whole place walked over to see it. It was obvious they never heard anything that rattled the walls before, LMAO.

Meh, the US isn't all that either. Its a society based on "who you know". The less people you know, the more hoops you have to jump through to get what you need. I love it, dont get me wrong, but if Canada wasn't so freaking cold I'd move there. I liked the lay back attitude, and the nature.