ALCOHOL & BOATING

Operating a boat is at least as complicated as driving a car, and a boating accident can be just as dangerous as an automobile accident. Yet many people who would never drive drunk think it's safe to operate their boat after drinking. It isn't. In fact, 16 percent of all boating fatalities involve alcohol use.

Many boaters are not aware of the fact that the effect of alcohol can be more pronounced in the operation of a boat than in the operation of an automobile. This is due to the various stress factors - boat and engine noise, sun, glare, wave action, temperature and wind. When these stress factors are combined with alcohol, the hazards associated with boat operation are intensified.

Alcohol can cause blurred, split or tunnel vision. After a few drinks boaters also begin to lose thief ability to judge their degree of impairment and become overconfident, taking risks. This factor combined with other effects of alcohol - loss of judgment and coordination and decrease in reaction time - leads to the inability to react appropriately to a dangerous situation.

The best advice is to let someone sober operate the boat - for your safety and the safety of others.