OUI arrests on Arizona waters increased in 2006

The number of arrests for operating a boat under the influence of alcohol on Arizona waters increased dramatically in 2006, according to final statistics from law enforcement agencies. There were 535 operating under the influence (OUI) arrests in 2006 compared to 375 the previous year.

Arizona waterways were also the site of 14 deaths in 2006, the worst boating fatality record since 1998. Thirteen of those fatalities were on the Colorado River, which also saw 387 accidents and 185 injuries.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department has expanded law enforcement efforts along the Colorado River, a highly used body of water that includes lakes Havasu, Powell, Mohave and Mead. An increase in boating use over the years has made these waters more problematic for the states bordering it.

"Although a number of law enforcement agencies from Arizona, California and Nevada, including the U.S. Coast Guard, patrol the Colorado River, it is challenging to manage and coordinate public safety along the 500-mile stretch in Arizona," says Kevin Bergersen, boating law administrator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

"We’ve improved training for water enforcement officers, increased the number of OUI task force patrols and checkpoints, and improved communications and coordination with our neighboring states," says Bergersen. “These enforcement efforts have been a major contributor to the increase in OUI arrests last year.”

Bergersen emphasized that law enforcement agencies will continue their efforts, including plans for 16 to 20 OUI special projects this summer.

“We’ll continue our enforcement efforts,” he says, “but we need the help of the public. The state’s high rate of boating OUI arrests and accidents makes it clear that educating the boating public and changing behavior are essential.”

The top reasons for boating accidents in Arizona are operator inexperience, weather, navigation rule violations, and operating under the influence. The Arizona Game and Fish Department currently offers boating safety education classes free to the public. To sign up for a boating safety class, call the Arizona Game and Fish Department at (602) 789-3235 or go to azgfd.gov/education and click on the “boating education” link