Impaired boat operators to be targeted at Arizona lake

PHOENIX - Law enforcement officers will be out on a Maricopa County lake this weekend checking for boat operators impaired by alcohol or drugs.

According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, officers will work with Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies to conduct a sobriety checkpoint to arrest impaired boat operators.

Officials say past OUI checkpoint data indicates that more than 50 percent of boat operators are involved with the consumption of alcohol while operating a watercraft. According to a press release published Wednesday, since 1998 40 percent of all Arizona boating deaths have involved alcohol.

"Although consuming alcohol on a boat is not against the law, people need to also know that the operator cannot be impaired by alcohol or drugs to the slightest degree," said Kevin Bergersen, state boating law administrator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

The law is the same for boat operators as drivers on the road. State law prohibits the operation of a motorized watercraft with a Blood Alchohol Concentration of .08 or higher.

Authorities say recent boating accidents and fatalities in Arizona underscore the need for enhanced enforcement of this law.

For boating safety information, including boating education course information, call 623-236-7235 or go to the AZGFD website .