Alcohol can affect a boater much more quickly than it would an automobile driver, but with the same tragic results. Know the basics Balance . When combined with the motion of the boat, this may be enough to cause a boater who has been drinking to fall overboard. Alcohol can also confuse a person to the point where he or she is unable to swim to the surface. Reaction time .
Alcohol slows reaction time.
It is difficult to process the sights and sounds around you in time to react after you've been drinking. Alcohol can keep a person from making sound decisions. A boater who has been drinking may take risks he or she normally would not. Alcohol causes tunnel vision and makes it harder to focus. It can also impair depth perception, night vision, and peripheral vision, making it harder to judge speed, distance, and follow moving objects.