LAKE COUNTY — Lake County Sheriff”s Marine Patrol will conduct a boating under the influence (BUI) checkpoint Saturday on Clear Lake.
Several allied law enforcement agencies will be assisting with the checkpoint including California State Parks, the California Department of Fish and Game and the Sacramento County Sheriff”s Department.
The BUI checkpoint is intended to reduce the number of alcohol-related accidents and injuries and to enforce other California boating laws on the waters of Clear Lake. Boaters will be stopped briefly and questioned.
“Any boat operators showing signs of alcohol use, intoxication or impairment may be subject to further testing,” Captain Jim Bauman said. “Anyone found to have a blood-alcohol (BA) content higher than .08 percent may be subject to arrest and incarceration.”
According to the U.S. Coast Guard”s (USCG) Boating Statistics: 2008, alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents. It was listed as the leading factor in 17 percent of deaths in 2008.
The Safe Boating Council (SBC) says that alcohol impacts and individual”s sense of balance and restricts vision. “A moment of dizziness or even a misstep may not cause any harm on your patio or in a restaurant, but it can lead to disaster on the water,” the SBC says. “Safe boating requires good vision and too much alcohol can seriously restrict your vision. It can create a ?tunnel vision” effect, reducing peripheral vision. It can impair your ability to ?focus” on objects and it can reduce your night vision, especially for reds and greens ? the colors of running lights.”
The USCG says that alcohol is more hazardous on the water than on land. “The marine environment ? motion, vibration, engine noise, sun, wind and spray ? accelerates a drinker”s impairment. These stressors cause fatigue that makes a boat operator”s coordination, judgment and reaction time decline even faster when using alcohol,” the USCG states. “Alcohol can also be more dangerous to boaters because boat operators are often less experienced and less confident on the water than on the highway. Recreational boaters don”t have the benefit of experiencing daily boat operation. In fact, boaters average only 110 hours on the water per year.”
The USCG suggests considering these alternatives to using alcohol while afloat:
Take along a variety of cool drinks such as sodas, water, iced tea, lemonade or non-alcoholic beer.
Bring plenty of food and snacks.
Wear clothes that will help keep you and your passengers cool.
Plan to limit your trip to a reasonable time to avoid fatigue. Remember that it”s common to become tired more quickly on the water.
If you want to make alcohol part of your day”s entertainment, plan to have a party ashore at the dock, in a picnic area, at a boating club or in your backyard. Choose a location where you”ll have time between the fun and getting back into your car or boat.
If you dock somewhere for lunch or dinner and drink alcohol with your meal, wait a reasonable time (estimated at a minimum of an hour per drink) before operating your boat.
Having no alcohol while aboard is the safest way to enjoy the water; intoxicated passengers are also at risk of injury and falls overboard.
Spread the word on the dangers of BUI. Many recreational boaters forget that a boat is a vehicle and that safe operation is a legal and personal responsibility.
Contact South County reporter Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
