TWRA officers increasing patrols on all major waterways this holiday weekend to deter boating under the influence.
As part of the national Operation Dry Water campaign, Tennessee Wildlife sergeant Dustin Buttram said the agency prioritizes the protection of recreational activities to ensure every member of the boating public returns home safely. Buttram said the presence of officers on the water serves as a primary deterrent for individuals who may be consuming alcohol at higher levels during the busy holiday.
“Historically, you know alcohol and the boating recreational activities have gone hand-in-hand,” Buttram said. “These holiday weekends people are out celebrating and you know the environment’s hot, it seems like we see an increase in alcohol consumption when we get these extremely extremely high temperatures. Seems like, you know, maybe people go a little further than they normally would.”
Buttram said while it is legal to consume alcohol on a vessel, the law focuses on the impairment of the operator. Buttram the legal limit for operating a boat in Tennessee is 0.08, which is the same standard applied to drivers on the state’s roadways.
“We just we just really want to preach the safety issues of staying under that legal limit and staying having a sober operator,” Buttram said.
Buttram said officers will conduct vessel inspections to check for current registrations, fire extinguishers, and a sufficient number of life jackets for everyone on board. Buttram said boaters attending nighttime fireworks displays must ensure their red, green, and 360-degree white navigational lights are functioning properly.
“Those are extremely important tools in navigation for the waterways at night,” Buttram said. “They show what the what you’re doing as a vessel to other vessels they show your direction of travel and they just help you be be visible so nobody runs into you.”
Buttram said statistics from the previous year show that 37 percent of boating fatalities involved the use of drugs or alcohol. Buttram said the combination of high temperatures and holiday celebrations often leads to an increase in alcohol consumption among those visiting the water.
“We’re out there to cut those numbers back,” Buttram said. “We don’t want to see the numbers that high in our incidents.”
Buttram said officers will remain in full force throughout the holiday weekend to assist the public and enforce safety regulations during the festivities.
“Ideally I hope to have zero (BUIs),” Buttram said. “I would love to have, you know, a sober 4th of July weekend for for all of our boating community.”
