Boating Under the Influence

It's never a good idea to drive a car while under the influence, and the same holds true when it comes to operating a boat or personal watercraft. Known as a BUI, driving a boat while drunk or under the influence of drugs can have similar legal consequences to DWIs.

Many boat owners don't realize that just as their road-bound counterparts are able, aquatic police are also able to "pull over" any operators who they believe are under the influence. Additionally, federal forces such as the U.S. Coast Guard can detain and hold you on suspicion before transferring you into the custody of local authorities.   Many police agencies and departments such as Game Wardens can pull your boat over without legal justification for any suspicion of criminal activity. This is done by pulling you over for a “safety check” to make sure you and the passengers on your boat are following safety protocol (e.g., check for life jackets on board, etc.). Oftentimes, this is used as an excuse to really check if passengers are intoxicated, any illegal narcotics are on board, and especially to check if the driver is intoxicated. Many times they will scan the boat for open containers. It’s not illegal to have open containers on a boat like it is a motor vehicle, but oftentimes this can be a “light bulb” for officers to do a “safety check” on a boat to see if the driver is intoxicated.