Don’t worry. I am not going to preach against drinking. Whether someone of legal age drinks or not is none of my business. I am going to talk about drinking and driving though. Because that might effect me or my family, friends and our community.
And it is not just driving cars and motorcycles but also boats, jet skies, bicycles, anything that moves.

But still, you might ask, what is wrong with a couple of drinks for the road or the bay? The answers may surprise you.

BECAUSE DRINKING AND DRIVING IS AGAINST THE LAW

Back in college my friend, let’s call him Andy, was the designated driver in our group. It was widely believed amongst us that Andy’s driving improved greatly when he’d had a couple of drinks. So Andy, though still drinking, was our designated driver.

If a cop stopped you in those days you got a slap on the wrist and went on your merry way. A police cruiser did stop Andy one night and that is exactly what happened. The officer told Andy to pull over to the side of the road and sleep it off.  18 was the legal drinking age in my state in those days. Just another case of boys will be boys. No fine. Not even a ticket.

Today, a person driving under the influence might find themselves sleeping it off in a jail cell with a suspended license and some very costly fines. Thanks to the lobbying efforts of M.A.D.D. (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) it is now a crime to
drive impaired in most states in the union, including RI, Mass and CT. So expect handcuffs not a slap on your wrists if you are stopped under the influence. A drunk driver stopped today pays a $300 fine in Rhode Island plus another
$1,000 or so in court fees. In Massachusetts the total fines would run somewhere around $1,600. And that is just for starters. There is also license suspension. Lawyer fees. A criminal record if convicted. Probation. And, you could get up to 30 days
at the ACI. This is a for a first offense by the way. And refusing a breathilizer carries an automatic suspension with a bevy of fines and you can still be convicted based on police or witness testimony. By the way, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers
gives Rhode Island high marks for our state’s enforcement of the law.

A far cry from, "you boys have had too much to drive…sleep it off and then you can go on your way".

Tighter legal penalties are not just for landlubbers. More years ago than I care to admit my friend, let’s call him Frank, thought a six pack of beer was an essential navigation aid as he sailed across the East Bay. And he never even got a slap on the wrist.  Drinking and boating went hand in hand. When the law came by Frank invited them on board for a drink. We have had horrible tragedies in Rhode Island recently with a death in Barrington of a high school student as a result of drinking and boating.

Today, if caught driving in an impaired state on Rhode Island’s waterways, Frank would face similar penalties to intoxicated car drivers. He would find himself facing up to $1,000 in fines. He might also be imprisoned for up to one year. If an intoxicated operator kills or seriously injures another person, he or she is guilty of a felony. Serious injury or death caused by a drunk sailor is considered a "violent crime" not an unfortunate accident. This means up to five years in the ACI and the possibility of up to $5,000 in fines. Additional penalties including mandatory education and/or loss of right
 to operate may be imposed.

Intoxicated, by the way, means under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance, or drugs and/or any combination thereof. Evidence of intoxication includes a .08% blood alcohol content at the time of the violation. And for underage drinkers (under 21)  ANY positive test of alcohol is a violation.

Also, be aware that just as when driving on land, operate on Rhode Island waterways and you are "deemed to have given consent"  to be tested for alcohol if arrested for operating under the influence. Don’t want to? Refusal to submit to a test may result
in a penalty of $1,000 and/or one year in jail.

BECAUSE YOU CANNOT OPERATE EQUIPMENT SAFELY WHEN DRINKING,
REGARDLESS OF HOW IT SEEMS AT THE TIME.

Of course, the primary reason not to drink and drive is the greatly enhanced risk of hitting somebody or something or causing an accident.  This not only affects the drunk driver but also his or her innocent victims.

If you think drinking and driving is not a serious problem unless you are in a blackout or staggering, you are mistaken. You may be surprised to learn that a few drinks can cause a significant loss of competency in judgment and reaction times

How many drinks equals an unsafe blood alcohol level? It depends on how much you weigh and how quickly you drink them and  a number of other factors including gender. A 100 pound woman and her 200 pound male drinking buddy react in a way that is roughly proportional to their weight. But as little as two drinks over the course of an hour can cause either a significant impairment.

The human cost of drinking and driving anything is horrendous. In 1999, 88 Rhode Islanders lost their lives in accidents involving an impaired driver. 88 men, women and children. Nationally, over 500 people die in boating accidents every year in the US in accidents involving alcohol. That means 500 people whose drinking lands them permanently in the drink each year.

Keep in mind that exposure to powerboat noise, vibration, sun, glare, wind and motion can produce a kind of "boater's hypnosis" that  adds to the effect of any alcohol or other drug you consume. And, the effects of drinking can be aggravated by excessive exposure to the sun. What’s more alcohol also reduces your body's ability to protect against cold water. So within minutes you may not be able to swim to safety
or even call for help.

These blood alcohol levels are estimates based on number of drinks per hour.
The body metabolizes about 1oz of alcohol each hour. So, if you have 2 drinks it will take you two hours to return to close to a 0% alcohol level. Gender, age and other factors will also blood level and effects.

Source:OHS Health and Safety Services, Incorporated

Summer in Rhode Island’s East Bay is too nice to spend any of it in a hospital bed or jail cell because you drank too much and drove anything from a car, motorcycle or boat to a bicycle or skateboard. And no one wants to be the cause of someone else’s tragic loss through an accident caused by drunk driving. So, if someone invites you to have "one for the road" this summer, you’d be very wise to say yes only if someone else is driving.