How Many People Have to Die Before We Talk About Idaho’s Drunk Boating Problem?

In today's world, most folks understand drinking and driving is reckless and illegal. Impaired motor skills, difficulty concentrating, blurry vision, and poor judgement behind the wheel are the makings of a dangerous, if not, deadly disaster.

Drunk-Driving Takes One Life Every 52 Minutes

Annually, alcohol causes 1/3 of all traffic-related fatalities. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Driving Under the Influence (DUI) kills 28 people a day in the U.S. — approximately one person every 52 minutes — and as many as 10,000 people each year. Of that number, NHTSA reports 230 children/minors were killed in drunk-driving crashes.

Idaho: DUI & BUI by the Numbers

In 2019, FBI findings pointed to 66 DUI-related fatalities on the road in Idaho compared to 36 on the water in 2020 reported by the Kootenai County Marine Department.

So why doesn't Boating Under the Influence (BUI) garner the same consideration as a DUI? 

Is it because BUI-related deaths don't always involve crashes? According to KSM, boating-related fatalities "occur when a person falls overboard and drowns." While an average of 34 drownings occur each year in Idaho, you can see how DUI-related fatalities might steal the public's concern.

We wondered if framing it differently would make a difference. According to the Florida Museum, sharks kill an average of nine people per year world-wide, but four times as many people are killed each year in Idaho BUI incidents!

Scroll on for a quick break-down on the risks and consequences of Idaho BUIs.

5 Alarming DUI Facts & Statistics

1. DUI-related accidents are most likely to occur during June, July, and August.
2. Nearly 70% of DUI-related traffic fatalities occur at night, while nearly 30% occur during the day.
3. Drivers ages 21 to 24 account for nearly 30% of all DUI-related accidents, followed by 25 to 34-year-olds at 25%.
4. Men account for nearly 81% of drunk-drivers, compared to women at approximately 20%.
5. Drunk-driving costs up to $44 billion in deaths & damages each year.

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