Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced the state will be stepping up enforcement of laws against boating under the influence (BUI) this weekend as part of a regional effort known as “Operation Dry Water.”
“With this summer’s high heat and generally good weather, boaters are out in large numbers to relax and have fun – and that’s the way that it should be.” Governor Rell said, “To ensure the safety of everyone, law enforcement officers will be conducting a special BUI focus on the Connecticut River and Candlewood Lake this weekend. Alcohol is a major factor in fatal recreational boating accidents on Connecticut waters and we will have zero tolerance for anyone found operating a boat under the influence of alcohol or drugs.”
Governor Rell noted that in the last two years, 63 percent of fatal boating accidents in Connecticut involved alcohol.
“Our state has tough new laws to crack down on drunken boating – and boaters caught operating while impaired this weekend can expect penalties to be severe,” the Governor said. “The first of these new laws imposed harsher penalties for boaters convicted of killing someone while operating a vessel under the influence. The second improved the process for administering tests to determine a boater’s blood-alcohol level. These laws are important – but responsible boating is the best way to prevent tragedies.”
“Operation Dry Water” is conducted by states belonging to the Northern Association of Boating Administrators. Connecticut’s Department of Environmental Protection Environmental Conservation (EnCon) Police will deploy increased patrols this weekend, assisted by State Police and the Chester Police Department to cover the Salmon River and targeted sections of the Connecticut River as well as Candlewood Lake.
An earlier “Operation Dr Water” was conducted June 25-27. That effort resulted in four BUI arrests – two on the lower Connecticut River and two on Candlewood Lake. The endeavor also resulted in nine citations for various other boating safety violations.
Background on Operation Dry Water
Operation Dry Water was launched in 2009 by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators in partnership with the United States Coast Guard and state boating law enforcement agencies such as the DEP. The Northern Association of Boating Administrators is comprised of the cold-water boating states from Maine to Delaware and west from South Dakota to Kansas (Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Wisconsin).
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. U.S. Coast Guard statistics from 2008 – the latest available – show 17 percent of all boat accident fatalities were a direct result of alcohol or drug use.
Additional information is available at www.operationdrywater.org.
