Boat operators should abstain from alcohol

With summer’s temperatures soaring to their highest of the season, Iowa’s lakes and reservoirs are busy places as Iowans of all ages look to escape the heat. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is reminding boaters to exercise safe boating practices and to have a designated boat operator who abstains from drinking alcohol.

Susan Stocker, boating law administrator and education coordinator for the Iowa DNR, said the goal is to reduce boating accidents, injuries and fatalities caused by alcohol impaired operators.

“Alcohol reduces reaction time and the ability to make quick sound judgments in an emergency situation. Then, if we factor in the wind and sun and glare off the water combined with the water movement that enhances the effects of alcohol, that leads to a dangerous situation waiting to happen,” Stocker said.

“Boat operators are responsible for everyone on their craft as well as watching all around them for other boaters and personal watercraft coming from all directions. It’s important that the operator avoid alcohol while in this role.”

The Iowa DNR partners with other state, county and local law enforcement to make the waters and roads safer. Iowa’s boating while intoxicated (BWI) blood alcohol concentration level of 0.08 percent was aligned with that of motor vehicles in 2011. So far this year, there have been 13 BWI arrests reported to the DNR.

While the BWI laws do not restrict passengers from drinking, Stocker encouraged them to know their alcohol limits. “We want everyone to enjoy their time on the water, but do so safely and responsibly,” she said.

The DNR noted the top five bodies of water for BWI arrests in 2020 included Lake Rathbun, the Mississippi River, Coralville Reservoir, Lake Okoboji and Saylorville Lake. The year 2020 saw 25 BWI arrests, and five out of eight boating fatalities involved alcohol, with 11 of the 38 accidents reported involving alcohol.

In 2019, 66 BWI arrests were made, and two out of six fatalities involved alcohol, with seven out of 22 accidents reported involving alcohol. In 2018, 39 BWI arrests were made, and three out of eight boating fatalities involved alcohol, 11 out of 31 accidents reported involving alcohol.