Friday, June 04, 2010
West Virginia To Increase Boat Patrol
WEST VIRGINIA....
Last year, West Virginia led the nation in boating fatalities per registered boats. Twelve people died while boating in 2009, including four who were whitewater rafting, but none of the deaths were attributed to intoxicated drivers. Lt. Tim Coleman with the state Division of Natural Resources says, in an effort to catch drunken boaters, conservation officers will be stepping up patrols on West Virginia waterways this summer. All of the state's 112 conservation officers received training in April on how to spot drunken boaters. Coleman says only seven people have been cited for operating a boat while intoxicated in the past three years while authorities haven't done a very good job tracking down drunken boaters...leaving boating under the influence a major problem in the state. It's OK to have a case of beer on the side of a boat, but the operator can't be drinking. The process for screening drivers is similar to how it's done on the highway, with officers using breathalyzers to analyze blood-alcohol content and anything .08 and above is illegal. Areas targeted for increased enforcement include Summersville Lake, the Ohio River in Parkersburg, Wheeling and Huntington and the Kanawha River through Charleston...with Summersville Lake considered the biggest problem area.
Last year, West Virginia led the nation in boating fatalities per registered boats. Twelve people died while boating in 2009, including four who were whitewater rafting, but none of the deaths were attributed to intoxicated drivers. Lt. Tim Coleman with the state Division of Natural Resources says, in an effort to catch drunken boaters, conservation officers will be stepping up patrols on West Virginia waterways this summer. All of the state's 112 conservation officers received training in April on how to spot drunken boaters. Coleman says only seven people have been cited for operating a boat while intoxicated in the past three years while authorities haven't done a very good job tracking down drunken boaters...leaving boating under the influence a major problem in the state. It's OK to have a case of beer on the side of a boat, but the operator can't be drinking. The process for screening drivers is similar to how it's done on the highway, with officers using breathalyzers to analyze blood-alcohol content and anything .08 and above is illegal. Areas targeted for increased enforcement include Summersville Lake, the Ohio River in Parkersburg, Wheeling and Huntington and the Kanawha River through Charleston...with Summersville Lake considered the biggest problem area.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 10:00 AM 
