Boating while intoxicated in short BWI can also lead to conviction and punishment according to the laws prevailing in different states of US. Sometimes you may face the problem of investigation while you are enjoying your holiday or a weekend on your boat. It is not necessary that you have consumed alcohol while boating but your physical appearance may give the feeling to the officer present over there that you are intoxicated. In such a situation, do not hesitate to go through the chemical tests that they perform to verify their doubt. It is not surprising that the doubt might have risen due to your un-stable condition that sometimes develops when dehydration takes place when you are enjoying in the sun and sweating but forget to intake any kind of liquid that can replace the water lost by the body. However, it is very important to contact a BWI lawyer who is an expert in this field and can give you proper guidance that can set you free from any charges.
It is essential to take the help of BWI lawyer because if you face conviction or if the charges levied against you are proved then you will not only get the punishment but will also lose your precious boat and the ownership of the boating license. The boating while intoxicated charges are very strict as a person goes for a boating expedition only for enjoyment and so expectation of the law from every citizen is that he should take every precaution of not committing any kind of offence during his boating spree. The BWI laws differ in every state of US and your duty is to find out about all the strategies of the law that is applicable in your state for boating while intoxicated while collecting your boating license. In most of the states the charges related to boating while intoxicated is more or less the same as the DWI charges or DUI charges. Sometimes many states give the permission to carry open containers on the boat but this sometimes misleads a person in thinking that he can consume unlimited alcohol while boating.
The practical fact is quite different as all the states have the law that presence of 0.8% level of alcohol in the blood while boating is punishable by law. The fine levied against the offender caught boating while intoxicated can range from dollars five hundred to dollars seven thousand five hundred. This clearly indicates the huge loss that you have to face if you face conviction for this crime. Along with this, you will also get an imprisonment term of two years and your boating license will be confiscated for a year. In some states, the laws become stricter as they have the provision of confiscating the driving license along with the boating license if you face conviction for boating while intoxicated. The signs that trigger the doubt of the officials are obvious as boaters under the influence of alcohol tend to increase the speed of their boat and forget to observe the rules and regulations of waterway traffic. Therefore, while you are enjoying your boating avoid alcohol and all the adverse consequences that you will face for the charges of boating while intoxicated.
