Boating While Under The Influence
Boating under the influence of alcohol is responsible for over 50% of boating fatalities every year. This percentage is rising as safety laws concerning personal floatation devices pushes down the death rate every year.
The number of recreational boating deaths in 1976 was 1,466. This was with an estimated 11.4 million boats for a rate of 12.4 deaths per 100,000 boats in use. Ten years later, in 1986, the number had dropped almost in half as the number of boats in use increased by almost 5 million. In 2005, the rate was less than half of the rate in 1976. What caused this steady decline? It can mostly be attributed to laws mandating the use of approved personal floatation devices in boats.
Tags: arrested, boat, boating, death, drink, drunk, fatalities, legal, legality, under the influence