Boating Intoxication Laws: What Makes Them So Important

#*  Only 1/3 the amount of alcohol it takes to impair a driver on the
highway is all it takes to impair a boater on the water.

#*  The marine environment -- because of the fluid base, motion,
vibration, engine noise and the elements of sun and wind
-- accelerates alcohol impairment.

#*  Boaters have far less operating time and experience than
automobile drivers, therefore they are less able to handle
diminished competence.

#*  Add boating stressors to those usual factors resulting from
drinking alcohol, and a perilous condition results.

#*  Drinking alcohol produces certain physiological responses that
directly affect safety and well-being.

    1.  Judgement and skill deteriorate, affecting peripheral
 vision, balance, and ability to process information.

    2.  Physical performance and reaction time are reduced.

    3.  Alcohol reduces depth perception, night vision, focus,
 and the ability to distinguish colors, especially red
 and green.

    4.  Alcohol consumption can result in inner ear disturbance,
 which can make it impossible for a person suddenly
 immersed in water to distinguish up from down.

    5.  When immersed in cold water, a person is subject to
 hypothermia quicker if they have consumed alcohol.