Contact: Ninth Coast Guard District Public Affairs Office
(216) 902-6020
| Ninth District External Affairs U.S. Coast Guard |
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| News Release |
Date: May 21, 2009 Contact: Ninth Coast Guard District Public Affairs Office |
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National Safe Boating Week -- Day 5: Boating Under the Influence (BUI) Boating under the influence is just as deadly as drinking and driving a motor vehicle. In fact, a boat operator is likely to become impaired more quickly than a driver, drink for drink. ● Alcohol affects judgment, vision, balance and coordination. ● Alcohol is even 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. ● Alcohol can cause an inner ear disturbance that can make it impossible for a person who falls into the water to distinguish up from down. ● The penalties for BUI can include large fines, revocation of operator privileges and serious jail terms. ● Alcohol accounts for nearly one-third of all recreational boating fatalities. For more information on Boating Under the Influence, go to http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/bui.htm. CLICK HERE to hear Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Tim Lieb, of Coast Guard Station Cleveland Harbor, talk about the dangers of boating under the influence of alcohol. CLICK HERE to hear Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Tim Lieb talk about the effects of alcohol while boating. For media inquiries, additional information or to arrange an interview with a Coast Guard member concerning boating under the influence of alcohol, contact your local Coast Guard unit or the Ninth Coast Guard District Public Affairs Office at (216) 902-6020. ### Saving Lives and Guarding the Coast Since 1790. |
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