Alcohol can harm your body and causes serious accidents on
the water.
Alcohol related boating is responsible for more than 30%
of the boating deaths that occur each year.
Alcohol causes you to be unable to drive a boat for
many reasons.
These reasons include the following:
Balance
Balance on a boat is already very difficult.
When you are under the influence you lose your sense of
balance and it is common for people to fall out of a boat and
drown.
Vision Problems
The sun and the reflection of light off of the water already make
it hard to see. When
you are under the influence it makes it even more difficult.
It is common for people who are driving a boat while
intoxicated not be able to tell the colors of the green and red
markers on the side of an oncoming boat.
This causes accidents more often than you would imagine.
Not only the skipper and his passengers are injured but
also the oncoming boaters as well.
Coordination
When a person falls into the water and they are under the
influence they cannot hold onto a floatation device.
It is difficult for them and the cold temperatures of the
water can cause the person to go into shock.
Once this occurs they are sure to drown.
Blood vessels
When you are out in the sun your blood vessels dilate on the
surface of the skin.
This causes you to lose body heat.
When someone intoxicated has been out in the sun all day
they have already lost a lot of body heat.
If they go overboard the chances of hypothermia kicking in
quickly is almost certain.
Judgment
Judgment is impaired when you are drinking in
every circumstance. When
you drive a boat you need to have excellent judgment of many
things. It is common for
people to be far too relaxed and have no fear when they are
drinking. This is when the
danger plays a serious role.
No fear causes boaters to do things they don’t even know are
dangerous. They drive
at higher speeds then they should be and they don’t even know it.
This is when disaster strikes.
You must have clear judgment.
Environment
When you are out in the sun all day your body is already drained
from the stresses of the environment around you.
The things that drain your body include sun, wind, noise,
vibration, glare, motion on the water, and more.
These factors cause a condition known as boater’s hypnosis
and fatigue. You don’t
have to be drinking alcohol to experience these things.
When you add alcohol to the mix then you are beyond unable
to comprehend and provide a safe ride for passengers or yourself.
The best thing you can do is not bring alcohol on your boat at
all. Never drink prior
to getting on your boat and don’t let anyone drive your boat that
has been drinking.
Driving a boat while intoxicated is a steep penalty if not your
life. This ticket is
the same if not worse than an automobile drinking and driving
ticket. States vary on
the penalties but they are severe.
