Mamaroneck Officers to Patrol Waters For Inebriated Boaters

Despite the freedom evoked by sailing the open seas, the risks involved with driving a boat are the same as that of the road.

According to a release sent out by the Village of Mamaroneck Police Department today, all village marine officers will be participating in Operation Dry Water 2012 from June 22-24, a nationwide campaign focused on enforcement of BUI laws.

"Officers will be out in force looking for boaters whose blood alcohol content (BAC) exceeds the state limit of .08.  Operation Dry Water will include increased patrols, vessels boarded, breathalyzer tests, and checkpoints, as well as boater education. Impaired boaters can expect penalties to be severe. In NYS, the consequences for BUI include fines, jail, and loss of boating or even driving privileges," said the release.

The U.S. Coast Guard reported that recreational boating fatalities have jumped to their highest levels since 1998, with BUI as the leading contributing factor. Alcohol also contributed to 16 of boating fatalities in the U.S. in 2011. A copy of the full report can be found here, on the U.S. Coast Guard's Boating Safety website, with additional statistics, including the ones excerpted above.

Luckily, very few of the offenders have been village residents.  

"There have only been a handful of arrests over the last few years for BUI," said Spokesperson Det. Sandra DiRuzza.

Operation Dry Water 2012 is a joint program of Marine Law Enforcement agencies, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, and the U.S. Coast Guard.