BOATING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Drinking alcohol was once considered as much a part of boating as it was a part of a Super Bowl party. But statistics show that boating under the influence is the primary contributing factor in 20 percent of boating fatalities.

What happens when you get busted?

LLaw enforcement agencies are cracking down on it, and boaters are wising up—yet perhaps not fast enough. Why not?

First, in most states, having an open container of alcohol in a boat is legal. It’s even legal in most states for a skipper to drink—as long as he maintains a blood alcohol level under 0.08—a level that can be exceeded by just one or two beers. On the water, its impact on your judgment, balance and coordination can be exacerbated, sometimes dramatically, by the heat, sun and motion of the water. Even when blood alcohol content is under 0.08, your judgment, concentration and coordination can be impaired. Alcohol is the enemy of all three.

Chad Weber is an officer for the Lake County Florida

Fish and Wildlife Commission. We spoke to him recently while he demonstrated the techniques they use to determine if a boater is under the influence.

“Most of the accidents I work on the water are because of alcohol,” he said while waving a pencil in front of a sober test subject’s eyes, conducting the horizontal gaze nystagmus test. We were filming a safety video on the impacts of BUI. “When you move the pencil past their eyes, inebriated boaters usually can’t keep up with it. Their eyes will jump, won’t track together, or they squint and look away.”

When Officer Weber finds a boater who he suspects of inebriation, they are arrested, cuffed and taken for further testing, possibly at the station, where a breathalyzer test or sometimes a blood test is given.

The violation can result in fines and suspension of auto license and/or boating privileges. And that’s if no other parties are injured. Accidents elevate the seriousness of the offense, and frequently result in felony convictions and jail time.