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Boating Safety... chart a safe course, alcohol and
boating don't mix
 As
spring gives way to summer, our thoughts naturally
turn to outdoor summertime activities such as
recreational boating. "But, waterways are second
only to highways when it comes to accidental deaths,
and a major contributing factor in recreational
boating casualties is alcohol," says Sheriff Wayne
L. Jones.
He added, "Boaters need to remember that alcohol and
boating do not mix. Alcohol affects your balance,
vision, judgment and coordination. It is ten times
more likely that a boat operator with a blood
alcohol content of .10 will be killed in a boating
accident than a boater with zero blood alcohol
content."
Research has shown that alcohol, combined with
boating stressors, such as sun, wind, noise,
vibration and motion, can impair a person much
faster than alcohol consumed on land. It impairs
your ability to operate a vessel safely in the same
way that it impairs your ability to drive a car
safely.
The Sheriff says, "Balance is one of the first
things you lose when you consume alcohol, and when
you combine this with the rocking of the boat, the
chance of falling overboard increases."
Dehydration is also a factor. The sun causes you to
perspire, which removes the water from your body but
leaves the alcohol in. This can cause impairment to
occur even faster.
Sheriff Jones said there are several myths that
boaters should know:
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Beer is NOT less intoxicating than any other
alcoholic beverage.
-
Only time will sober a person, NOT black coffee
or a cold shower.
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It is NOT easy to tell if someone is impaired.
Many experienced drinkers can hide
their impairment.
-
You are NOT the best person to judge if you are
fit to drive. Your judgment is one of
the first things you lose when you drink
To promote safe boating in St. John the Baptist
Parish, the Sheriff offers recreational boating
enthusiasts tips to help keep them safe on the
water:
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 DO
file a float plan; tell people when you are
leaving, where you are going and when you are
returning.
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DO check the weather forecast before you go and
bring a radio to regularly check weather
reports.
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DO wear a life jacket. Life jackets float, you
don't.
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DO observe the nautical rules-of-the-road.
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DO keep a good lookout.
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DON'T mix alcohol and boating.
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DON'T stand in a small boat.
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DON'T overload your boat.
The Sheriff concluded, "We are blessed with some of
the most beautiful waterways, and boating is very
much a part of our lives. Remember to chart a safe
course by boating safe and sober."
SOURCES: U.S. Coast Guard
National Safe Boating Council
USA Today; "Drunken Boating Targeted," July 2, 1998.
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