BUI Danger

When you are out on the water, having fun is the main thing on your mind. Enjoying the sun, ridixng the waves and spending time with friends are the order of the day. You might even have a few alcoholic beverages. What can be wrong with that?

Boating under the Influence is serious business. While driving under the influence is dangerous, there are many conditions on the water that can intensify the effects of alcohol or drugs. These conditions include:

• Sun
• Wind
• Motion
• Vibration
• Engine Noise

All of these circumstances can lead to fatigue. Coordination, judgment and reaction time become more impaired than if the boat operator is sober.

The Effects Of Alcohol Are Enhanced On The Water

A boat operator will become more impaired than a driver, drink for drink.

Alcohol is also harmful while on the water because it creates a physical sensation of warmth. This is dangerous because it may keep a person in cold water from getting out, resulting in hypothermia.

Consuming alcohol even without these conditions leads to a decline in mental and physical skills. These may include: cognitive abilities (such as judgment), balance, peripheral vision, night vision, depth perception, focus, and distinguishing colors (such as red and green).

If you also consider that people operate a boat more infrequently than driving a car, it is easy to see how consuming alcohol while on the water is dangerous. The operator is less experienced and less confident on a boat than behind the wheel of a car. It is estimated that boaters spend only 110 hours on the water per year.

Because of the above factors, a boat operator with a rising blood alcohol content (or BAC) of .10% is over 10 times more likely to die in a boating accident than someone who is sober while they are operating a boat. It isn’t just the driver who is at risk – passengers who are drinking are also susceptible to injury or death.

Boating Under The Influence Carries Many Dangers With It

According to data from the U.S. Coast Guard, in boating accidents that result in death, over half of the victims capsized their boats or fell overboard.