In addition to patrolling Rhode Island streets and highways for suspected drunken drivers, the state police will hit Narragansett Bay waters on the lookout for boating-while-intoxicated offenders.
The state police announced last week that the marine unit will patrol Narragansett Bay throughout the summer to promote marine safety, handle calls for service and to enforce the criminal laws within Rhode Island waterways with particular attention to boating under the influence. They will be collaborating with the U.S. Cost Guard, the state Department of Environmental Management officers, and local harbormasters.
Troopers will conduct vessel safety inspections and "will have zero tolerance" for boaters operating a vessel while drinking, according to the state police news release.
The legal limit blood alcohol content while operating a boat is .08.
U.S. Coast Guard data reveals that alcohol is the primary contributing factor in recreational boating fatalities. Alcohol can impair a boater's judgment, balance, vision and reaction time, as well as increase fatigue and susceptibility to the effects of cold-water immersion. Sun, wind, noise, vibration and motion - stressors common to the boating environment - intensify the side effects of alcohol, drugs, and some prescription medications, according to a state DEM news release.
To contact the state police marine unit, call (401) 294-3371 or (401) 444-1064.