Looks like the DNR is going to be out in force this weekend. Even if you're not drinking, you might want to double check that your carrying all your safety gear, that it is in working order and easy to access, and that your battery terminals are covered.
From the DNR:
Conservation wardens to enforce safety by stopping impaired boat operators
If you are on Wisconsin waters this weekend, you will see Wisconsin’s
conservation wardens and local boat patrols looking for impaired boat
operators whose blood alcohol level is over the state limit of 0.08
percent. This weekend event is part of the national Operation Dry Water
campaign slated for June 22 - 24.
“We want to enhance everyone's safety by removing intoxicated boat
operators from the water. We hope to educate as many boaters as possible
about the hazards of operating while intoxicated," Roy Zellmer,
Department of Natural Resources boating law administrator, said.
A boat operator or passenger with a blood alcohol concentration above
the legal limit runs a significantly increased risk of being involved
in a boating accident. When impaired by alcohol, boating accidents are
more likely and more deadly for both passengers and boat operators, many
of whom capsize their vessel or simply fall overboard.
Operating while intoxicated is a primary contributing factor in
nearly one in five boating fatalities nationwide, and Wisconsin’s
conservation wardens and boat patrols are committed to enforcing laws
against this high-risk behavior to protect everyone on the water.
Boaters found operating a recreational vessel with a blood alcohol
concentration of 0.08 percent or higher will find their voyage
terminated and they will be removed from the water for everyone's
safety.
Last year, Wisconsin’s conservation warden service and local water
patrols dedicated 1,684 hours and contacted 1,870 boaters during
Operation Dry Water. There were 14 arrests of boating under the
influence and 162 other boating citations issued along with 599
boating-related warnings.
Operation Dry Water, a multi-agency, education and enforcement
initiative launched by the National Association of State 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 the last weekend in June to give operating while
intoxicated enforcement high visibility during the peak
boating season.
"Boaters who choose to operate while intoxicate will face the
consequences of that decision," Zellmer said. "We want recreational
boaters to enjoy themselves, but there will be zero tolerance for
boating under the influence.”
Operation Dry Water is a joint program of the Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources, the National Association of State Boating Law
Administrators and the U.S. Coast Guard. For more information, visit www.operationdrywater.org. For more information on boating in Wisconsin, search for "boat" on the DNR website.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment