OUI Boating Law Massachusetts
OUI (Operating Under Influence) boating laws in Massachusetts are some of the most stringent in the whole nation. Operating a boat under influence can lead to revocation of one’s motor vehicle license and vessel registration. OUI boating laws are also known as BUI (Boating Under the Influence) regulations. It is against the law to operate a boat while under the influence of alcohol or any type of prohibited substance such as marijuana, depressants, narcotic drugs, or stimulant substances. When one is boating, the level of alcohol concentration in the blood should not be 0.08 or more; otherwise, one will be charged with OUI or BUI.
In Massachusetts, many people take the opportunity to spend time on the water boating, fishing, or getting involved in a water sport. For this reason, the state’s law enforcement agency (Massachusetts Environmental Police) unrelentingly prosecutes anyone found boating under alcohol influence. Massachusetts General Law has severe penalties for anyone charged with Boating Under Influence that include heavy fines and jail sentences.
The reason why these penalties are so stringent is because alcohol’s effect on the human body is increased when natural stress-agents such as sun, wind, and vibrations are experienced during boating. Also, dehydration as a result of these stressors increases the absorption rate of alcohol into the body system. Generally, alcohol depresses one’s CNS (central nervous system) and slows down the reaction time.
Penalties for Boating Under Influence in Massachusetts
Massachusetts General Law has various stringent penalties for different kinds of offenders arrested and convicted of boating while intoxicated with alcohol or any illegal substance.
- First-time offenders convicted of OUI or BUI may be penalized up to a maximum of $1,000 or imprisoned for at most one and a half years. An offender can also be punished with both sentences. Such offenders can also have their vessels’ registration and motor vehicle licenses annulled for up to a year.
- Those who subsequently break the law within a period of six years are considered second-time offenders. When such offenders are charged with breaking BUI laws, they can be fined a maximum of $1,000 or imprisonment for up to two and a half years, or, once again, punished with both penalties.
- Repeat offenders receive harsher penalties.
- A BUI offender who caused severe body injury to a different person risks being fined a maximum of $5,000 or being imprisoned for up to ten years.
- Anyone arrested for BUI who refuses to undergo a breath analysis or chemical test to determine the level of alcohol concentration in his or her blood can have their license revoked and their vessel’s registration canceled for up to 120 days.
Many people are unaware of the consequences of operating a boat under the influence of an illegal substance or alcohol. If you are arrested for such an offense, it is vital that you immediately contact a good attorney who mainly handles BUI cases in Massachusetts. Attorney Geraghty has extensive experience and complex defense strategies to defend clients accused of operating a boat while intoxicated. In the event of a BUI arrest, it is therefore important to contact Attorney Geraghty in order to ensure a good defense against your prosecutor’s charge allegations.