With the summer heat comes many outdoor boating adventures, and the continental United States is loaded with great places for boaters to enjoy.
From Destin, Florida along Florida's Panhandle; to Long Island; Newport, Oregon; Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri; Chickamauga Lake in Tennessee; Desert Waterways in Arizona; to Puget Sound in Seattle, Washington, the boating choices abound.
While boating can be a wonderful way to relax with friends and family, it can also be deadly, especially when boating is mixed with alcohol. Lots of people do it. They enjoy drinks while boating – it's almost an American pastime. Unfortunately, a boat operator can become significantly impaired as a result of even moderate drinking.
Alcohol's Effects on Boating
From Washington to Florida, boating under the influence of alcohol has resulted in many serious boating accidents and fatalities. According to the California Department of Boating and Waterways, some studies estimate that alcohol is involved in approximately 25% of all fatalities involving motorboats.
Many boaters are unaware that the effects of alcohol can easily be more pronounced when boating than when driving. This is because of the stress factors, such as sun, glare, engine noise, wave action, wind, and temperature.
Alcohol is a depressant, which slows a person's sensory abilities. As a boater consumes alcohol, it begins to reduce their:
- Vision
- Depth perception
- Judgment
- Concentration
- Cognitive skills
- Reaction time
- Balance and coordination
It only takes a couple of drinks for boaters to become overly confident, and take more risks. Combined with the other effects of alcohol – loss of balance and coordination, impaired judgement, and decreased reaction time – drinking while boating often leads to the situation where the boater can't react properly to a dangerous boating situation.
Were you injured in a boating accident that involved an intoxicated boat operator? If so, reach out to a skilled personal injury attorney to help you file a claim for compensation!