Dept. of Game, Fish and Parks
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 30, 2001
For more information: Bill Shattuck, 773-4506

ALCOHOL WHEN BOATING SHOULD BE AVOIDED

PIERRE -- Even though there are far fewer boats on the water than cars on the highway, and most boats are slower than most cars, state Game, Fish and Parks officials say it is just as important not to mix alcohol and boating as it is to avoid alcohol while driving.

Boating Safety Specialist Bill Shattuck said people go boating to forget their cares, but sometimes they also leave their common sense behind. 

"Drinking while boating can be as dangerous as drinking and driving," he said. "Like driving while intoxicated, boating while intoxicated is illegal. Game, Fish and Parks officers are the primary enforcers of the state’s Boating Under Influence Law, which sets a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) standard of .10 as legal intoxication. "Intoxicated boaters are ten times more likely to be killed in a boating accident than those who are not drinking," Shattuck noted.

Boaters need to be aware of two specific problems caused by boozing while boating: 

• First, because of the combination of prolonged exposure to the sun, wind, noise, vibration and boat motion on the water, "boaters fatigue" can slow reaction time almost as much as if a boater were legally drunk. Drinking alcohol makes this "boaters fatigue" much worse, and one beer on the water can affect someone the way three or four beers would on land. 
• Second, naming a "designated driver" doesn't work well afloat. Studies by the American Medical Association and BoatU.S. Marine Insurance have found that only 20 percent of the alcohol-related boating deaths are caused by drunk drivers. Almost half the fatalities happen when the vessels are not even underway - either anchored or at the dock. Passengers do not wear seat belts on boats. If they've had too much to drink, they may, among other things, fall off the boat, stumble into open hatches or drown while swimming. Passengers need to remain aware of their surroundings and practice the same safety measures as the boat driver.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have laws against boating while intoxicated. BACs of .10 are enforced in 19 states, while 31 have lowered it to .08 or less. In eight states (Alaska, California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and New Jersey) people convicted of BUI can also lose their driving licenses. 

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