Lake Sun
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Nearly 13 percent of the boaters stopped at the 9.5-mile marker during a weekend sobriety check were arrested for being over the legal limit.
According to the Missouri State Water Patrol, nine boaters were taken into custody after failing to pass a sobriety test Friday evening. A total of 71 boats were stopped during the checkpoint.
The checkpoint was part of a nationwide campaign to reduce the number of drunken drivers on the water.
More than half of the statewide arrests were on Lake of the Ozarks during the weekend campaign on five lakes.
“Operation Dry Water” is spearheaded by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and aims to raise awareness and reduce the incidence of intoxicated operation of vessels. The nationwide campaign was held this past weekend.
For the last two years, the Water Patrol has been reporting an increase in the number of sober captains along with a decline in the number of boating while intoxicated arrests and accidents involving drunken drivers.
Nationally, alcohol is a contributing factor in more than 1/5 of all boating fatality accidents.
Numbers to know at Lake of the Ozarks
Checkpoint conducted June 26
71 boats stopped
9 BWI arrests
10 other citations
10 warnings
Operation Dry Water
As part of the Operation Dry Water, the Missouri State Water Patrol ran checkpoints this past weekend at:
•Lake of the Ozarks
•Table Rock Lake
•Mark Twain Lake
•Pomme De Terre Lake
•Smithville Lake.
There were 343 boats stopped at these check points around Missouri. Seventeen arrests for boating while intoxicated were made. Seventeen other citations were issued for equipment violations and 62 warnings were issued.
Numbers to know statewide
343 boats were stopped
17 arrests for BWI
17 other citations
62 warnings
