Alcohol and 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 is 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 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 their ability to judge their degree of impairment and
become overconfident, taking risks. This factor combined with other effects
of alcohol - loss of judgement and coordination, and decrease in reaction
time- leads to the inability to react appropriately to a dangerous situation.
Let someone sober operate the boat - for your safety and the safety of others.
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