LANSING, Mich., June 26 (UPI) -- Michigan is considering lowering the permissible blood-alcohol level for boating to the 0.08 percent that is now the limit for motor vehicle drivers.
The Michigan Sheriffs Association has endorsed the proposal, The Detroit News reported. Lt. Brian Barlog, who commands the Macomb County Marine Division, said Friday boats have become much more powerful and lakes and rivers more crowded.
Barlog and his officers spent Friday monitoring the Jobbie Nooner, a traditional waterborne party on Lake St. Clair that began as a celebration of the annual summer shutdown of auto assembly plants.
"On a busy weekend, this is like Gratiot Avenue, there's so many boats," Barlog said.
The bill to reduce the allowable blood-alcohol level has been in the state House Judiciary Committee for a year. The measure is also part of a boating safety package awaiting introduction.
The Sheriffs Association has also backed tracking those ticketed for drunken boating.
Many states have already adopted more stringent standards for drunken boating.
