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Drinking on Your Boat - It Really Does Matter! Water Is a Poor Chaser As more states adopt strict operating-under-the-influence (OUI) laws that mirror stepped-up alcohol enforcement on the roads, boaters are coming under increasing scrutiny. Venturing out on the water after drinking, even after moderate social drinking, can be very hazardous. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, alcohol is a major factor in as much as 50% of all recreational boating fatalities. The Coast Guard says a boat operator with a blood alcohol concentration above .10% - the legal threshold in 38 states - is 10 times more likely to be killed in a boating accident than a boater with zero BAC. No matter what the activity, alcohol affects balance, vision, coordination and judgement. But in boating, a combination of stressors like wind, sun, noise, motion and vibration can magnify the effects of alcohol and even accelerate impairment. Numerous studies have measured the effects of alcohol on motorists but comparatively little scientific study has gone into boating and alcohol. While it is possible to extrapolate data from motor vehicle research, we wanted to find out, firsthand, how alcohol would affect experienced boaters. And we also wanted to see what we could learn, at least anecdotally, from our test subjects' own recollections of their performance stacked against data collected by on-scene observers. The Sober Truth Most boaters think of collisions as the greatest threat when drinking on the water. Yet, according to BOAT/U.S. Foundation for Boating Safety research, an estimated 75% of alcohol-related boating accidents and injuries do not involve collisions. In fact, falls on board or overboard, or missteps at the dock or getting in the dinghy, are a much greater threat when drinking afloat. It is important to note that the subjects in our test were boaters who do not drink when operating their own boats. Of course, they knew this was a test and that quite naturally prompted them to concentrate harder on their activities than a boater who may assume it is okay to drink and operate a boat or one who doesn't think twice about doing it. Boat/U.S. Magazine * January 1999 |
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