The Massapequa Takes Action Coalition is continuing the Boat Smart, Boat Sober initiative aimed at enhancing water safety awareness and practices among local boaters.
Drinking while boating poses a significant health and safety risk. It is also 100% preventable.
In collaboration with the Town of Oyster Bay, MTAC is working to raise awareness of this issue and to help keep residents safe this summer while on the water. This includes reducing boating accidents by promoting safe boating practices and fostering an environment that encourages healthy decision-making. MTAC has invited the community to join this important effort to make our waterways safer for everyone.
It is important to realize that on the water, even small amounts of substances may greatly impair one’s ability to function in three critical areas: balance, coordination, and judgment. Pair this with environmental stressors such as glare, heat, vibration, and engine noise, and you can become quickly fatigued, greatly slowing your reaction time.
Alcohol can affect a person’s ability to understand what is happening around them, which in-turn, can decrease their ability to react to an emergency or operate a boat. For new boaters, who are already unfamiliar with the water, the effects of alcohol or any substances may be even more dangerous.
No one may operate a vessel on the waters of NYS while impaired or intoxicated through the consumption of either alcohol or drugs. Also, if you are under the age of 21 in New York State, it is illegal to drink alcoholic beverages.
For more information about the Boat Smart, Boat Sober initiative, please visit https://www.mtacoalition.com/about-mtac/campaigns or contact Ashley Cimato at (516) 799-3000 x131 or acimato@yesccc.org.
Information provided by the Massapequa Takes Action Coalition.
