Police, Coast Guard Focus On Dangers Of Drinking & Boating
Effort this weekend to educate & enforce ‘boating under the influence’ laws.
This weekend police are ramping up efforts to make the public aware of the dangers of drinking and boating. WNPR’s Nancy Cohen reports.
The project is called “Operation Dry Water”. It’s a nation wide effort by the U.S. Coast Guard and environmental, state and local police. The project is coordinated by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators.
Connecticut Environmental Police Colonel Kyle Overturf says alcohol can impair a boat operator’s vision and balance.
“Operators can’t react as quickly. They can’t perceive danger as well if they are under influence. Connecticut has had several boating accidents, fatalities that we could directly link to alcohol.”
It’s illegal in Connecticut to have a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher while operating a vessel. Overturf says this weekend and throughout the summer police will conduct field sobriety tests and will arrest boat operators who fail them.
For WNPR I’m Nancy Cohen.
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Connecticut has had several boating accidents --- fatalities that we could directly link to alcohol.
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