Chapter 4: The Legal Requirements of Boating
Alcohol and Drugs
Rhode Island law prohibits anyone from boating while intoxicated
(BWI). This includes the operation of any powerboat, sailboat,
personal watercraft, water skis, sailboard, or similar device.
Intoxicated means a person is under the influence of alcohol, a
controlled substance, or drugs such that his or her thoughts or
actions are impaired, causing a danger to others. Alcohol and drugs cause impaired balance, blurred vision, poor coordination, impaired judgment, and slower reaction times. Alcohol is a major contributor to boating accidents and fatalities. Read
more about the effects and risks of consuming alcohol.
Rhode Island law sets the blood alcohol limit for boating
while intoxicated at 0.08% or greater.
Rhode Island law establishes penalties for boating while intoxicated. Penalties are
set according to the Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) that is detected.
- On a first conviction for offenders with a BAC of less than 0.10%, the
penalties are:
- $100-$250 fine
- Right to operate a vessel suspended for up to 45 days
- 10-60 hours of community service
- Required attendance at a boating safety course
- $500 boating safety assessment fee
- On a first conviction for offenders with a BAC over 0.10%, the penalties are:
- $100-$300 fine and/or imprisonment for up to one year
- Right to operate a vessel suspended for up to three to six months
- 10-60 hours of community service
- Required attendance at a boating safety course and/or an alcohol/drug
treatment class
- $500 boating safety assessment fee
- Operating a vessel while operating privileges are suspended carries additional
penalties, including imprisonment and loss of operating privileges for two
additional years.
- Any convicted offender who had a child under 13 years of age on board the
vessel may be imprisoned for up to one year. This imprisonment cannot be
deferred or suspended.
- An operator under 21 years of age who is convicted of BWI or for refusing to
submit to chemical testing (see below) also may have his or her motor vehicle
driver's license suspended for one year, lose the right to operate a vessel for up to an additional six months, and have the vessel's registration suspended.
- Subsequent convictions within a five-year period carry higher fines and other severe penalties, including imprisonment for up to five years and seizure of the offender’s vessel.
By operating a vessel on Rhode Island waters, you have consented to be tested for alcohol and/or drugs if requested by a law enforcement official. Refusal to submit to testing carries an automatic fine of $300, a $700 assessment fee, up to 60 hours of community service, and loss of boating privileges for one year. Fines and penalties will increase substantially with subsequent offenses.
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Areas of Impairment Due to Blood Alcohol
Concentration (BAC)
Because you can drink faster than your system can burn
off the alcohol, there is an increasing level of alcohol in your blood.
This level is referred to as Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC). |
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