Star-Tribune Editorial Board

This Fourth of July, many people in landlocked Wyoming will spend the holiday on local lakes.

The dangers of operating vehicles while impaired by drugs or alcohol are well known, even if they are sometimes dangerously ignored. But did you know that a boat operator is likely to become impaired more quickly than a driver on land, drink for drink?

Alcohol affects judgment, vision, balance and coordination. These impairments increase the likelihood of accidents on water, for both passengers and boat operators. According to the Coast Guard, alcohol is even more hazardous on the water than on land. The marine environment - motion, vibration, engine noise, sun, wind and spray - accelerates a drinker's impairment. These stressors cause fatigue that makes a boat operator's coordination, judgment and reaction time decline even faster when using alcohol.

Inner-ear disturbances can make it impossible for a person who falls into the water to distinguish up from down. Alcohol, meanwhile, creates a physical sensation of warmth, which may prevent a person in cold water from getting out before hypothermia sets in.

The Coast Guard's Web site, www.uscgboating.org, notes, "Alcohol can also be more dangerous to boaters because boat operators are often less experienced and less confident on the water than on the highway. Recreational boaters don't have the benefit of experiencing daily boat operation. In fact, boaters average only 110 hours on the water per year."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says alcohol involvement is the leading contributor in fatal boating accidents, contributing to about one in five reported boating deaths.

A good example of how quickly a good time can turn bad when drinking and boating are mixed occurred during a May crash at Alcova Reservoir. Two of the four people in the boat were seriously injured, and one remains hospitalized. The boat's owner faces two charges of aggravated assault and one count of boating under the influence. Another man who was allegedly driving the boat close to the time of the crash is also charged with boating under the influence.

Both county sheriff's deputies and Game and Fish personnel patrol reservoirs in Natrona County, and they try to make sure there is a life jacket available for every passenger. But in the summer, particularly during holiday weekends, they can easily be overwhelmed by the number of boats on the water.

The independent nature of many Wyoming people can lead to a "don't tell me what to do" mentality when it comes to boating recreation, particularly when alcohol is involved. But boating operators must remember that they have an obligation to keep their passengers safe, as well as watch out for others using the lake.

Having no alcohol on board is the safest way for boaters to enjoy any outing, including Independence Day. But if you want to make alcohol a part of the day's entertainment, the Coast Guard recommends having a party ashore. Choose a location where you'll have time between the fun and getting back into your car or boat.

You can have a happy and safe Fourth of July by observing some common-sense rules. If you dock somewhere for lunch or dinner and drink alcohol with your meal, the Guard suggests waiting a reasonable time - a minimum of an hour per drink - before operating your boat.

Whether you spend the holiday on the road, on the water or shooting fireworks in your backyard (if they're legal in your community), please be careful. We want to see everyone still here on the Fifth of July.

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Our view

Using alcohol while operating a boat can be deadly for both passengers and the operator.

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Editorial Board

Nathan Bekke, publisher

Chad Baldwin, editor

Kerry Drake, opinion editor

Sally Ann Shurmur, community news editor

Ron Gullberg, managing editor