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Missouri’s BAC limit for boaters drops to .08 Labor Day Weekend
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| The Water Patrol will be on the lookout for captains intent on drinking and stepping to the helm during Labor Day Weekend. Photo: J.B. Simpson/LakeExpo.com |
By J.B. Simpson/LakeExpo.com
LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. -- You’ve had a “couple” drinks with lunch at a favorite watering hole, plan to tip the dock girls, step to the helm and shove off. Think again.
Labor Day marks the first weekend of enforcement for the new blood alcohol content limit of .08 at Lake of the Ozarks and across Missouri.
The Safe Boating Bill (HB 1715), sponsored by Rep. Rodney Schad (R-Versailles) and championed by Rep. Wayne Cooper (R-Camdenton) reduces the legal blood alcohol content limit from .10% to .08% for operation of a vessel on the water.
In a show of solidarity to rid state waterways of drunken captains, Gov. Matt Blunt signed the legislation on Missouri's busiest lake during the hottest boating weekend of the year -- July Fourth -- at Lake of the Ozarks State Park. Anderson Hollow Cove, also known as "Party Cove," is located within the boundaries of the park.
In an effort to educate boaters and eradicate drunken captains from the lake, the Water Patrol this summer has held several sobriety checkpoints. On the evening of July 26, 68 boats were stopped at the 1 MM of the Gravois Arm yielding only two boating while intoxicated arrests. A week earlier on the Grand Glaize Arm officers cited eight of 119 captains with BWI. The last weekend of June the patrol popped three of 15 during late-night hours near the mouth of Toad Cove.
The sobriety checkpoints -- held on weekends during the peak of the boating season and targeting some of the busiest waters at Lake of the Ozarks -- have shown captains are increasingly choosing responsibility and sobriety while at the helm at a rate of 94 percent.
"The increase in designated drivers we've seen in recent years is great to see," Walz said. "It's clear that boaters are getting the message."
Walz says the saturations act as a deterrent. Because boat traffic has been marginally lighter this summer, he says the Water Patrol has been able to commit more officers to checkpoints. While they are generally conducted during the weekends, the patrol is mixing up dates, times and locations. All, of course, are confidential.
"The goal is not to arrest more people, the goal is to make the lake safer," Walz said.
The Water Patrol estimates alcohol is a factor in at least half of all boating fatalities and 30 percent of all injuries on the water. Last year a vast majority the dozen drownings at the lake were alcohol related.
The patrol reported 2007 as the safest year in two decades in terms of boating-related accidents. The patrol cited increased funding, an increase in sobriety checkpoints, mandatory boater education for young operators, and the efforts of the Water Safety Council based at Lake of the Ozarks as the largest contributors to last year's success.
In 2008, the Safe Boating Act’s reduction of the BAC limit to .08 is likely to be the largest catalyst for continued progress.
"The .08 law will help continue to bring awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving a boat," Walz said. "Enforcement of the .08 law is one more way to educate the public regarding this law. Knowing the boating laws before you go out and operate a boat should be a priority."
As the Water Patrol, business owners and residents at Lake of the Ozarks enjoy the last huge boating holiday of the summer season, the message is clear: Have fun, be courteous, and always designate a sober captain.
Subscribe To Lake AlertsLabor Day marks the first weekend of enforcement for the new blood alcohol content limit of .08 at Lake of the Ozarks and across Missouri.
The Safe Boating Bill (HB 1715), sponsored by Rep. Rodney Schad (R-Versailles) and championed by Rep. Wayne Cooper (R-Camdenton) reduces the legal blood alcohol content limit from .10% to .08% for operation of a vessel on the water.
In a show of solidarity to rid state waterways of drunken captains, Gov. Matt Blunt signed the legislation on Missouri's busiest lake during the hottest boating weekend of the year -- July Fourth -- at Lake of the Ozarks State Park. Anderson Hollow Cove, also known as "Party Cove," is located within the boundaries of the park.
In an effort to educate boaters and eradicate drunken captains from the lake, the Water Patrol this summer has held several sobriety checkpoints. On the evening of July 26, 68 boats were stopped at the 1 MM of the Gravois Arm yielding only two boating while intoxicated arrests. A week earlier on the Grand Glaize Arm officers cited eight of 119 captains with BWI. The last weekend of June the patrol popped three of 15 during late-night hours near the mouth of Toad Cove.
The sobriety checkpoints -- held on weekends during the peak of the boating season and targeting some of the busiest waters at Lake of the Ozarks -- have shown captains are increasingly choosing responsibility and sobriety while at the helm at a rate of 94 percent.
"The increase in designated drivers we've seen in recent years is great to see," Walz said. "It's clear that boaters are getting the message."
Walz says the saturations act as a deterrent. Because boat traffic has been marginally lighter this summer, he says the Water Patrol has been able to commit more officers to checkpoints. While they are generally conducted during the weekends, the patrol is mixing up dates, times and locations. All, of course, are confidential.
"The goal is not to arrest more people, the goal is to make the lake safer," Walz said.
The Water Patrol estimates alcohol is a factor in at least half of all boating fatalities and 30 percent of all injuries on the water. Last year a vast majority the dozen drownings at the lake were alcohol related.
The patrol reported 2007 as the safest year in two decades in terms of boating-related accidents. The patrol cited increased funding, an increase in sobriety checkpoints, mandatory boater education for young operators, and the efforts of the Water Safety Council based at Lake of the Ozarks as the largest contributors to last year's success.
In 2008, the Safe Boating Act’s reduction of the BAC limit to .08 is likely to be the largest catalyst for continued progress.
"The .08 law will help continue to bring awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving a boat," Walz said. "Enforcement of the .08 law is one more way to educate the public regarding this law. Knowing the boating laws before you go out and operate a boat should be a priority."
As the Water Patrol, business owners and residents at Lake of the Ozarks enjoy the last huge boating holiday of the summer season, the message is clear: Have fun, be courteous, and always designate a sober captain.
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