Sobriety urged for boaters

State officials advise sobriety afloat and especially on Memorial Day weekend when a large contingent of Iowa's 229,000 registered boats take to the water.

Although state law allows boat operators to drink within the legal .08 blood alcohol limit, “We recommend a designated boat operator who abstains from alcohol,” said Susan Stocker, the DNR's boating law administrator/education coordinator.

Effective last July 1, the state lowered the legal limit for boaters from 0.10 to 0.08, making it consistent with the law applying to operators of land-based vehicles.

Open containers, which are illegal in cars and trucks, are still permissible in boats, but Stocker said DNR officials would prefer, for safety's sake, that boaters leave all alcoholic beverages ashore.

Wind, wave action, sun and glare can magnify the intoxicating effects of alcohol, she said.

Stocker said 54 boaters were cited last year for boating while intoxicated – a condition that slows reaction time and impairs judgment.

The DNR also recorded 38 boating accidents last year, well below the state's annual average of 54.

Iowa boating fatalities totaled four last year, five in 2010, three in 2009, none in 2008, 10 in 2007 and five in 2006.

Of the 23 boating fatalities recorded from 2006 through 2010, 13 (or 56.5 percent) involved alcohol, according to DNR statistics.

Stocker said the Mississippi River, Coralville Lake and lakes within state parks will be among Eastern Iowa's most popular areas for motor boats on Memorial Day weekend.

Besides limiting alcohol consumption, boaters should wear a properly fitting lifejacket, according to Stocker.

State law requires boat operators to carry a properly fitted wearable lifejacket for every person on board. Passengers age 12 and younger are required to wear their lifejackets whenever the boat is under way.

More than 50 percent of drowning victims were not wearing lifejackets, Stocker said.