Impaired driving of a boat is Impaired Driving. New legislation applies to motorized and non-motorized vessels.
If you are convicted of impaired driving of a car, snowmobile, ATV or boat, you will have your driver’s license suspended.

Research shows that the most common factors in snowmobiling deaths and injuries are:

• Alcohol
• Riding after dark
• Excessive speed
• Riding on ice

It is common knowledge that alcohol can impair your judgement, vision and co-ordination.  It can also make you sleepy and slow down your reaction time.  All good reasons why we should not be operating motorized vehicles including snowmobiles if we have been drinking.  Alcohol and snowmobiling can be a deadly combination.

According to the Canada Safety Council website:

• "Snowmobiling leads to more serious injuries than any other winter sport."

• "Fatally injured operators aged 26 to 35 were about seven times more likely to have alcohol present in the blood than those over 55."

• "Fatal crashes occurring at night were 6.7 times more likely than daytime crashes to involve a drinking operator."

• "Weekend crashes (Friday night through Sunday) were almost twice as likely to involve alcohol than those during the week."

• "About 70 per cent of fatally injured operators had alcohol in their blood (compared to 46 per cent of highway drivers).  Over half of these had a very high BAC, over 150 mg/dl."

•  "Alcohol was found in 65 per cent of those hospitalized for major snowmobiling injuries."

It is also important to remember that although alcohol may make you feel warm inside, it is actually cooling your body down.  And when snowmobiling, the mix of alcohol with colder temperatures increases your risk of hypothermia.

Legal issues

It is a criminal offense to operate a motorized snow vehicle while impaired or with a BAC (blood alcohol concentration) over 80 mg/dl.

The same rules and penalties apply as for drunk driving: 

• high fines
• loss of driver's license
• a criminal record and, for subsequent convictions imprisonment