Deal: Boating Under the Influence law is working, saving lives

ATLANTA - Gov. Nathan Deal and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wednesday released a preliminary report documenting ten less Boating Under the Influence (BUI) arrests this Memorial Day weekend compared to last year. <br /> <br /> In 2013, Deal signed into law legislation, which received overwhelming bipartisan support, lowering the blood-alcohol content limit for boaters from a .10 to a .08 to mimic the limit set for automobiles and increasing penalties for those caught boating while intoxicated. The law went into effect May 15, 2013, leading to an increase in enforcement and arrests before tapering down this year after public awareness campaigns and higher penalties deterred BUIs.<br /> <br /> Beginning July 1, a DNR approved boater education course is required of all boat operators born on or after Jan. 1, 1998. Anyone renting a boat, regardless of age, is required to provide proof of a boater education course or watch a rental boat education video at the boat livery. The DNR safe boating practices education video for rental boats was released this week and can be found by clicking on the link below.<br /> <br /> DNR said Monday night that there were 32 BUI cases made over the three-day Memorial Day weekend this year, ten of them on Lake Lanier. (See second link below.)<br />

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