Recently, the US Coast Guard and the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) launched Operation Dry Water, an annual campaign focused on the enforcement of BUI laws and educating boaters about the risks of operating a boat under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
Recreational boating fatalities jumped last year to their highest levels since 1998 and boating under the influence (BUI) was the leading contributing factor, according to the U.S. Coast Guard’s report entitled 2011 Recreational Boating Statistics.
Even though it is against federal and most state laws for a person with a BAC of .08 or higher to operate a recreational vessel, BUI unfortunately remains a significant problem in the U.S. and accounts for a majority of on-the-water deaths. Alcohol was a contributing factor in six percent of boating accidents, but figured in 16 percent of boating fatalities.
As we are in the middle of summer and boating season, AlcoPro encourages its customers to help spread the word regarding Operation Dry Water. View the Operation Dry Water site.