Colorado Marine Law Enforcement Officers Gear Up For 2012 Operation Dry Water

6/19/2012

Colorado Marine Law Enforcement Officers Gear Up For 2012 Operation Dry Water

DENVER – Recreational boating fatalities last year jumped to their highest levels since 1998 and boating under the influence (BUI) was the leading contributing factor, according to the U.S. Coast Guard’s report, 2011 Recreational Boating Statistics. The report comes just weeks before Colorado marine law enforcement officers participate in the Operation Dry Water 2012, an annual nationwide campaign focused on enforcement of BUI laws and educating all boaters to the risks of operating a boat under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Officers will be out in force Friday, June 22 through Sunday, June 24 looking for boaters whose blood alcohol content exceeds the state limit of .08. Operation Dry Water will include increased and focused patrols, checkpoints, as well as boater education. Impaired boaters can expect penalties to be severe. In Colorado, the consequences for BUI include fines, jail time, court-ordered volunteer service, impoundment of the boat, mandatory boating safety education and even loss of boating privileges.

“We intend to arrest intoxicated boaters and to reach out to as many people as possible about the hazards of boating under the influence,” says Kris Wahlers, Colorado’s spokesman for the event.

BUI continues to be a major problem in the United States. Boat operators or even passengers with a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit run a significantly increased risk of being involved in a fatal boating accident. Alcohol was a contributing factor in just 6 percent of boating accidents overall, but figured in 16 percent of boating fatalities in the United States last year. When impaired by alcohol, boating accidents are more probable and more deadly for both passengers and boat operators, many of whom capsize their vessel or simply fall overboard.

Operation Dry Water, a multi-agency education and enforcement initiative launched by the National Association of Safe Boating Law Administrators in 2009 in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, puts thousands of local, state and federal marine law enforcement officers on the water nationwide prior to the Fourth of July holiday to give BUI enforcement high visibility during the peak boating season.

"There will be arrests this weekend, and some boaters will face the consequences of boating under the influence," says Wahlers. "Boating is a safe and enjoyable pastime when people stay alert and follow the rules. We want boaters to understand the added risks associated with BUI and to avoid drinking and boating.”

Operation Dry Water 2012 is a joint program of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, and the U.S. Coast Guard. For more information, visit www.operationdrywater.org.