8 or 9 Beers and Driving a Boat?

It makes me insane when I think about the risks some people take not only with their own lives but with all of those around them. Consider this story of a Lake Anna boater (and let's get serious, there are many just like him on every waterway in America) arrested this weekend in Operation SWEEP patrols by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

The Freelance-Star described one stop this way:

"The boat, which carried several adults and children, had been on the water since 11 a.m. Dedrick said he suspected the driver was operating under the influence. The man told officers he'd had eight or nine beers throughout the day. He refused to take a test to determine whether there was alcohol in his system."

Would this same guy load up his crew in the family minivan and drink 9 beers on his way to Kings Dominion? Maybe so, but it's clear that far too many people treat drinking and boating differently than drinking and driving because they know they won't get caught. Sad, huh?

WWBT in Richmond also did a story on the weekend's patrols and you can link to their video here.