Between the Waves

While the world continues to address the global pandemic of COVID-19 one small piece of safety equipment is getting a lot of attention. The face mask and its recommended use by the Centers for Disease Control has become a perfect testbed for us to study in how to address life jacket and engine cut-off switch wear. Many correlations can be drawn and we should do our part to recognize those correlations and use them to advance our efforts.

In this final episode of the series, Alex Otte shares one of the key findings from the Boating Under the Influence Report and Dashboard. Research shows that the compounding risk of alcohol consumption in an on-water environment indicates that a person is more impaired on a boat than they would be on land with the same amount of alcohol in the same amount of time. The increased risk is present for everyone on a vessel, regardless of what their role is. People who are willing to engage in one type of risky behavior are more likely to engage in other types of risk behavior, too. Individuals who partake in alcohol consumption in an aquatic setting are statistically less likely to wear life jackets, and more likely to swim alone or in unsupervised areas. The relative risk of death is similar for operators and passengers and increases for both groups as BAC increases.

In this fourth episode of the series, Alex Otte shares one of the key findings from the Boating Under the Influence Report and Dashboard. The expectation carried by much of the public is that as long as a person stays below the legal limit, 0.08 percent, that there are not at risk of impairment. Although there have been many studies to indicate the falsehood in that idea, claiming that impairment can occur at any blood alcohol content level upon a departure from 0.0 percent, this is of particular interest to the boating community. Given the compounding environmental stressors of an on-water setting, to include sun, heat, wind and the motion of the vessel, impairment can occur at a much lower blood alcohol concentration. Because low BAC’s present greatly increasing relative risk in an on-water situation, alcohol use may actually be more hazardous on a boat than in other settings

In this third episode of the series, Alex Otte shares one of the key findings from the Boating Under the Influence Report and Dashboard. This finding addresses the research pertaining to the prevalence of alcohol-involved drownings, specifically within the adult male population. In 2011, two-thirds of reported drowning deaths occurred in people aged 15 and over. Almost 50 percent of all drownings that year occurred in males older than 15. The higher rates of male exposure to aquatic environments is compounded by high risk behaviors such as swimming alone, not wearing a personal flotation devices (PFD) when boating or swimming, and alcohol consumption. Excessive alcohol usage is likely to contribute to poor risk assessment and decision-making in recreational aquatic activity.

In this introduction to the series, Alex Otte recounts the events that led her to develop a passion for boating under the influence enforcement and prevention. When Otte was 13 years old, she was sitting on a jet ski behind her father’s house on Lake Herrington in Danville, Kentucky, when she was struck by a bass boat at a high rate of speed. It was quickly discovered that the operator of that vessel and his passenger were under the influence of alcohol. Otte was airlifted to the hospital where she remained in critical condition. The offender was given a small fine.

In this second episode of the series, Alex Otte shares one of the key findings from the Boating Under the Influence Report and Dashboard. A gap identified in the research is that of consistent alcohol testing in boating incidents and full reporting on these incidents. The proportion of recreational boating accidents that are alcohol related needs to be statistically determined, and inadequate reporting leaves researchers with an unclear picture of widespread impairment on our nation’s waterways.

In this first episode of the series, Alex Otte shares one of the key findings from the Boating Under the Influence Report and Dashboard. Research on boating under the influence clearly demonstrates that alcohol use by boat passengers presents danger regardless of the activity of the operator. Countermeasures to reduce alcohol consumption by all occupants of the boat, consistent with the mission of the Operation Dry Water campaign, are more likely to be effective in reducing boating fatalities. While sober car drivers may greatly reduce the risks to their passengers, the same is not true on the water. The finding that people are more likely to drink on the water than when driving a car also suggests that there is a need to develop improved strategies to reduce drinking on the water.

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