Development of a standardized boating sobriety test

A sobriety test capable of being administered on boats was developed as an aid in establishing probable cause to request a breath sample of recreation al boat operators suspected of being over the legal alcohol limit. In a lab oratory phase some 12 candidate measures suitable for use in a boating envi ronment were assessed for their relationship to blood alcohol levels throug h administration to 32 subjects tested at blood alcohol concentrations (BAC s) of 0.00, 0.06 and 0.12%. Four measures showing significant relationships to BAC were then administered by marine police to a sample of 60 recreatio nal boaters found to have BACs ranging from 0.0 to 0.20%. Three measures st ill showing significant relationships to alcohol were horizontal gaze Nysta gmus given in a seated position, reciting the alphabet from A to Z, and cla pping hands alternately with palm and back of hand, while counting. Correla tion of the measures with BAG, and the ability to distinguish boaters over and under a 0.10% limit were similar to those found over the same BAC range with the standardized field sobriety test (SFST) for motor vehicle operato rs. Where there is not sufficient cause to request a boat operator to proce ed to shore for testing, a standardized boating sobriety test (SBST) making use of the three measures appears to be a suitable replacement for the SFS T. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.