Game and Fish participates in second annual Operation Dry Water campaign
Game and Fish participates in second annual Operation Dry Water campaign
Heavy law enforcement patrol efforts from the tri-state region will remove alcohol-impaired boaters from the Colorado River at the end of the month as part of Operation Dry Water, a countrywide movement that has more than 40 states increasing OUI enforcement and awareness.
Operation Dry Water is a national campaign that was created to detect and remove impaired boaters from waters across the nation. It is organized by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) and the U.S. Coast Guard, and it will focus on enforcing Operating/Boating Under the Influence (OUI or BUI) laws June 25-27, 2010.
Among the many lakes and rivers across America, one of the most dangerous waterways west of the Mississippi is the Colorado River. The national effort broadens the public safety message and includes interagency OUI checkpoints, saturation patrols and awareness between states like Arizona, California and Nevada that border waterways such as the 233-mile Colorado River system.
“The Colorado River is a massive undertaking to enforce,” said Kevin Bergersen, Arizona’s boating law administrator. “However, it is important that every agency does their share since a significant number of alcohol-related accidents occur on the Colorado River,” he said. “These checkpoints remove dangerous boaters from the river by enforcing the .08 Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) throughout, making it safer for everyone.”
The primary purpose of the campaign is to detect boat operators who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and to provide boating safety education and outreach to all boaters. “We want people to be responsible while having fun,” said Bergersen.
United States Coast Guard statistics from 2008, the latest available, reveal that 17 percent of all boat accident fatalities were a direct result of alcohol or drug use. Alcohol can impair a boater’s judgment, balance, vision, and reaction time. It can increase fatigue and susceptibility to the effects of cold-water immersion. Sun, wind, noise, vibration, and motion – “stressors” common to the boating environment – intensify the side effects of alcohol, drugs, and some prescription medications
To find out more about Operation Dry Water and boating safety laws, please visit www.operationdrywater.org, www.azgfd.gov/boating, or www.boatcoloradoriver.com.
