The Walls family love to go out on the lake at least once a week, they keep their son in a life jacket for safety, but there are some other factors they cant control that lurk in these waters: Drunk boaters.
Josh Walls says, "Its just its crazy out here anything can happen, a jet ski can come out in front of you, and kids will be on the tube they can run over them."
Georgia law allows boaters to consume more alcohol legally than drivers.
Jeff Swift DNR says, "In Georgia boating under the influence, and the per say law which means you are indefinitely under the influence is at 0.10."
Josh Walls thinks that rule is backwards and that people driving boats shouldn't be allowed to drink at all.
Walls says, "I don't think they should drink at all on the water, families are out here on the boat anything can happen."
And it does happen, on Lake Lanier a suspected drunk boat slammed into a pontoon boat killing a 9 year old. His 13 year old brother is still missing.
Walls says, "If they can't drink and drive on the road, they shouldn't drink and drive on the boat"
A proposed change to the law to lower the BUI limit failed in the General Assembly this year.
Jeff Swift of DNR says,"Legislators have sponsored bills over the last couple of years to try to introduce getting the BUI Statute down to 0.08."
It could come up again. If it passes, DNR rangers believe they will be able to prevent more tragedies.
If you reduce the statute to 0.08 we will be able to get them of the water ways prior to them becoming more dangerous.
One factor that should be eliminated from the dangers of the water.
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