Drinking and driving — or even boating — don’t mix, MADD says

Mothers Against Drunk Driving, MADD Hawaii, is urging everyone to designate a non-drinking driver if alcohol is in their Memorial Day weekend plans whether riding on the highways or waterways.

During the 2019 Memorial Day weekend, 172 people died on the nation’s highways, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed.

MADD reminds people that boating and drinking also don’t mix. Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating crashes, and close to a quarter of those deaths, a U.S. Coast Guard report on recreational boating shows.

Interestingly, people who are on the water can be just as impaired at a .03 blood alcohol concentration as those on land with a .08 BAC, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators said.

The association attributes it to environmental factors such as the motion of the water, the weather, the sun, the cold water and other factors that increase impairment.

Madd National President Alex Otte, at age 13, was severely injured by a drunk boater.

“Prior to 1980, people drove with a beer in their cup holder,” she said. “Today you would not watch someone get in a car with alcohol in their hand and drive away.

“But that happens every single day on our nation’s waterways. This is a culture shift that has yet to happen, but it must, if we’re going to save more lives.”

Theresa Paulette, MADD Hawaii Victim Services, says: “This Memorial Day weekend, as we honor our nation’s heroes, who sacrificed their lives to protect ours, please remember to keep yourselves and those around you safe.

“Choose a non-drinking driver to get you to and from your designation whether in an automobile or a boat.”