Georgia bill seeks to lower BUI level

Posted on 15 March 2013

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The Georgia state Senate passed a bill that would lower the blood-alcohol limit for boat operators to that of motorists in response to two fatal accidents on Lake Lanier last year.

The bill cleared the Senate March 1 in a unanimous 50-0 vote and is now in the House, according to a report at SuwaneePatch.com. The measure would reduce the blood-alcohol limit for boat operators to 0.08 and require that Georgia boaters meet training requirements and wear life jackets at an extended age.

Georgia’s 2013 legislative session ends March 22.

Last June, brothers Griffin, 13, and Jake Prince, 9, of Buford, Ga., were killed on Lake Lanier when a boat slammed into the pontoon boat that was carrying them and others. The body of Griffin Prince was found after a nine-day search.

Paul Bennett, 44, of Cumming, Ga., was indicted in connection with the Prince deaths. He faces trial in May on charges of homicide and boating under the influence.

Last July, Atlanta youth Kile Glover, 11, died from injuries he sustained when a personal watercraft operator struck him and another youth on the lake. The youths were in an innertube that a larger boat was pulling.

Jeffrey Hubbard, described as a family friend, was indicted in connection with the Glover death.

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