BUI Initiatives

• A boat operator can become impaired more quickly than a driver, drink for drink.
• Penalties for BUI can include large fines, revocation of operator privileges, and jail time.
• Alcohol use is involved in about a third of all recreational boating fatalities.

Every boater needs to understand the risks of boating under the influence of alcohol or drugs (BUI). It is illegal to operate a boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs in every state. The Coast Guard also enforces a federal law that prohibits BUI. This law applies to all vessels, from canoes and rowboats to the largest ships. It includes foreign vessels operating in U.S. waters, and U.S. vessels on the high seas.

Alcohol affects judgment, vision, balance, and coordination. These impairments increase the likelihood of accidents for both passengers and operators. U.S. Coast Guard data shows that in boating deaths involving alcohol use, over half the victims capsized and or fell overboard.

Alcohol can be even more hazardous on the water than on land. Motion, vibration, engine noise, sun, wind, and spray can accelerate impairment. These stressors cause fatigue that can make coordination, judgment, and reaction time decline even faster when alcohol is involved.

Alcohol can also be more dangerous to boaters because many operators have less experience on the water than on the highway. Recreational boaters average about 110 hours on the water per year.

Alcohol has physical effects that directly threaten safety and well being on the water. When a boater or passenger drinks, the following can occur.

• Cognitive abilities and judgment deteriorate, making it harder to process information, assess situations, and make safe choices.
• Physical performance is impaired, including balance problems, reduced coordination, and increased reaction time.
• Vision is affected, including decreased peripheral vision, reduced depth perception, decreased night vision, poor focus, and difficulty distinguishing colors, particularly red and green.
• Inner ear disturbances can make it difficult for a person who falls into the water to distinguish up from down.
• A false sensation of warmth may delay exiting cold water and increase hypothermia risk.

A boat operator with a blood alcohol concentration above 0.10 percent is estimated to be more than 10 times as likely to die in a boating accident than an operator with zero blood alcohol concentration. Passengers are also at increased risk, especially if they are also using alcohol.

This table provides a general guide to average impacts of alcohol consumption. Many factors can change how quickly someone becomes impaired, including prescription medications, fatigue, heat, dehydration, and the marine environment. There is no safe threshold for drinking and operating a boat. Do not assume you are safe because you fall into “rarely” or “possibly” influenced categories.

* The asterisk indicates estimated levels of impairment that could mean the individual is possibly influenced.

The Coast Guard and every state enforce strict penalties for BUI. Penalties can include large fines, suspension or revocation of operating privileges, and jail time.

In waters overseen solely by a state, the state enforces its own BUI statutes. In state waters also subject to U.S. jurisdiction, there is concurrent jurisdiction. If a boater is apprehended under federal law in these waters, the Coast Guard will, unless precluded by state law, request that state law enforcement take the intoxicated boater into custody.

When the Coast Guard determines that an operator is impaired, the voyage may be terminated. The vessel may be brought to mooring by the Coast Guard or by a competent, unimpaired person on board. Depending on the circumstances, the Coast Guard may arrest the operator, detain the operator until sober, or turn the operator over to state or local authorities.

Boating, fishing, and other water sports are fun on their own. Alcohol can turn a great day on the water into a tragedy. Consider these safer alternatives while afloat.

• Bring a variety of non alcoholic drinks, such as water, iced tea, lemonade, or soda.
• Pack plenty of food and snacks.
• Wear clothing that helps you and your passengers stay cool and protected from sun and wind.
• Limit your trip to a reasonable time to reduce fatigue. It is common to become tired more quickly on the water.
• If alcohol is part of the plan, keep it ashore at a dock, picnic area, boating club, or at home.
• If you drink with a meal while docked, wait a reasonable time before operating your boat.
• The safest choice is no alcohol aboard. Intoxicated passengers are also at higher risk of injury and falling overboard.

Spread the word about the dangers of BUI. Many recreational boaters forget that a boat is a vehicle, and safe operation is both a legal and personal responsibility.