If you are drinking and driving, even the tiniest amounts of alcohol can contribute to an accident, so even if your blood alcohol level isn’t off the charts, you can suffer from:

• Impaired judgement and coordination – which are crucial to safe driving
• Reduced perception/compromised assessment of situations and hazards
• Slowed reaction time – up to 25%
• Inability to multi-task – which is essential with any type of driving
• Up to 35% diminished vision and muffled hearing

Those diminished capacities could be disastrous while drinking and driving a car. Just imagine the havoc they could wreak while driving a boat. You and your passengers may be able to step away from a car accident, but in a boating accident, it is very possible to be thrown into the water. Death is very probable if you or one of your passengers is injured and ejected from your boat. Boating while intoxicated is a leading cause of fatal boating accidents. Did you know that a boat operator with a blood alcohol level of .10% – which is only 1-3 beers – is 10 times more likely to be killed in a boating accident than a sober captain? Also one must learn about what to know about drunk driving indictments and the kind of attorney to call.

And that’s not all. Even if you are not involved in an accident, you could face serious legal repercussions if you choose to drink while driving a boat. Boat operators who are over the legal alcohol limit can face fines, drivers’ license suspension or revocation and even jail time.

Gerry’s Marina has a soft spot for Florida boaters. Being on the water can be a boatload of fun. We just want you to be safe and careful out there.