COLUMBUS, OH - For many Ohio boaters, the Labor Day holiday marks the season's last outing on the water - and the last weekend party with family and friends. Watercraft officers with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) remind boaters that drinking and driving is just as dangerous on the water as it is on the road. As Ohio's estimated 3,000,000 boaters begin making plans for the holiday weekend, they are encouraged to remain alert to activities that include alcohol consumption.
"Law enforcement and education efforts remain focused on removing drunk boaters from our waterways to ensure public safety," said Ken Alvey, chief of the ODNR Division of Watercraft.
Under Ohio's current law, operators of motor vehicles, watercraft and other public modes of transportation are considered legally impaired if their blood alcohol content is above 0.08 percent. State watercraft officers made 76 arrests in 2003 for operating watercraft while under the influence. A record 100 arrests were made in 2002. Alcohol was cited as a contributing factor in 8 percent of the 160 reported boating accidents and 32 percent of the 19 boating-related fatalities reported in Ohio last year.
Alvey said that alcohol is a depressant and can seriously affect a person's judgment, balance, coordination, vision and overall ability to operate a boat safely. The effects of alcohol when boating are elevated significantly when combined with adverse weather conditions, engine noise and vibration, potential dehydration and fatigue.
ODNR also reminds boaters that Ohio law requires anyone born on or after January 1, 1982 to have in their possession a valid boating safety education certificate when operating any watercraft powered by more than a 10-horsepower motor. All boat operators, regardless of age, are encouraged to always wear a life jacket while boating and to take a boater safety education course. Boating safety classes are offered statewide and can be found on the Internet at ohiodnr.com .