Operation Big Bang is targeting aggressive boaters, who could be under the influence, to cut back on the historically high number of boating accidents this month.
Of the 208 boating accidents reported this past year, 47 have occurred in July, prompting Maryland Natural Resources Police to hit the waterways in full force Friday.
From January to June, 86 boating-related accidents were reported, with 31 involving injuries and two fatalities, according to Maryland Natural Resources Police.
During the same time in 2007, 76 boating-related accidents occurred, but 35 involved injuries and two were fatal.
Not helping is the fact that Maryland does not require a boater?s license, because unlike driving, it?s considered a right, not a privilege, to operate a vessel on the water, said Sgt. Ken Turner, a Maryland Natural Resources Police spokesman.
“I don?t understand the logic there,” he said.
“I guess people have a God-given right to be on the water.”
But any skipper born after July 1, 1972, is required to pass an eight-hour, boater-safety course, which covers the dangers of drinking while operating a boat, according to the Maryland boater-education law.
A first offense for operating a vessel under the influence of alcohol carries a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine and/or one year in jail. For the lesser offense of operating while impaired, the maximum penalty is a $500 fine and/or two months in jail, Turner said.
“When a citation is issued, you don?t have an option of not going to court. It?s not, ?Oh, here?s a check, I?ll just pay it,? ” Turner said.
“You will go before a judge.”
Nationally, between 700 and 800 people die in boating accidents every year, and about 40 percent of those deaths involve alcohol, according to Boaters Against Drunk Driving, a national network promoting boating safety.
Patrols extended into the parks and forests to catch underage drinkers and drunken drivers, as well as the use of illegal fireworks and other criminal activity.
