Chapter 4: The Legal Requirements of Boating
Alcohol and Drugs
The Mississippi Alcohol Boating Safety Act prohibits anyone from
boating while intoxicated—that is, operating a boat powered
by a motor of 25 horsepower or greater or a personal watercraft
while intoxicated due to alcohol or any combination of alcohol,
controlled substance, or drugs. Alcohol and drugs cause impaired
balance, blurred vision, poor coordination, impaired judgment,
and slower reaction times. Alcohol is a major contributor to boating accidents and fatalities. Read
more about the effects and risks of consuming alcohol.
The Mississippi Alcohol Boating Safety Act defines intoxicated
as being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs such that
a person’s thoughts and actions are impaired and he or she
has a loss of normal control of faculties to such an extent as
to cause danger to others. A concentration of alcohol of 0.10%
or more, based upon a chemical analysis of breath, blood, or urine,
is evidence that a person is intoxicated.
The Mississippi Alcohol Boating Safety Act establishes the following
penalties.
- Those arrested and convicted of boating while intoxicated may
be fined up to $1,000 and jailed for two days for a first conviction.
- Upon a second conviction within five years, a person may be
fined and jailed, and also will lose the privilege of operating
a vessel for one year. More severe penalties exist for additional
convictions.
- A person boating while intoxicated who causes the death or
serious injury of another person will, upon conviction, be guilty
of a felony.
By operating a vessel on Mississippi waters, you have consented
to be tested for alcohol or drugs if requested by a law enforcement
official. If you refuse, you will be subject to arrest and punishment
consistent with the penalties described above and lose your privilege
of operating a vessel for at least one year.
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Areas of Impairment Due to Blood Alcohol
Concentration (BAC)
Because you can drink faster than your system can burn
off the alcohol, there is an increasing level of alcohol in your blood.
This level is referred to as Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC). |
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