41.9 F
Clarksville
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsTennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to hold Fifth Annual Operation Dry Water Weekend...

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to hold Fifth Annual Operation Dry Water Weekend June 28th-30th

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency - TWRANashville, TN – The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) will be participating in Operation Dry Water, June 28th-30th. Operation Dry Water is a national weekend of Boating Under the Influence (BUI) education and enforcement directed toward reducing alcohol and drug-related accidents and fatalities.

Operation Dry Water is held on a weekend prior to the July 4th holiday to give BUI enforcement high visibility during the peak boating season.

Operation Dry Water

The TWRA is teaming with the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA). Operation Dry Water is being held for the fifth year after being started by the NASBLA in 2009.

TWRA boating officers will saturate high traffic areas on reservoirs across the state. Along with the use of life jackets and other safety practices, officers want boaters to be aware of the effects and ramifications of alcohol use. The TWRA will be intensifying efforts to detect and apprehend boat operators who are operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

In 2012, 135 TWRA officers participated in the Operation Dry Water weekend, logging more than 1,700 hours. Officers checked close to 2,400 vessels, wrote 180 citations, another 148 warnings and made 19 boating under the influence arrests (BUIs).

One boat operator on Chickamauga Lake was arrested for his second BUI offense in three years.

Operating a boat with a Blood Alcohol Content of .08 percent or higher is illegal in Tennessee, the same as operating a motor vehicle. Penalties may include fines, jail, boat impoundment and the loss of boat driving privileges.

Statistics show that more than 20 percent of boating-related fatalities are a result of alcohol use. Sun, wind, noise, vibration and motion intensify the effects of alcohol, drugs and some medications.

For more information, visit www.operationdrywater.org.

RELATED ARTICLES

Latest Articles