The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) has been conducting Boating Under the Influence (BUI) courses since 2004. Statistics from the U.S. Coast Guard show that the percentage of boating accidents, injuries and fatalities caused by alcohol -- those in which alcohol was reported as a contributing factor -- has remained constant over the past several years. Along with promoting greater awareness of the dangers of drinking and boating, NASBLA believes that the best way to reduce BUI is to strengthen law enforcement capabilities on the water. With that in mind, NASBLA has worked with its state and federal members/partners in the development of the BUI training courses. Officers, who have been previously trained in the use of the “Afloat Standardized Field Sobriety Tests” (SFSTs) through NASBLA, now have the opportunity to transition that training and knowledge to the “Seated Battery of SFSTs.” This new testing protocol allows the marine officer the advantage of conducting sobriety tests while still out on the water with a validated degree of certainty. No longer is it necessary to detain suspected intoxicated boat operators and take them ashore to conduct conventional “standing SFSTs.” NASBLA's Boating Under the Influence 1-Day Seated Battery Transition (BUI-01) course is an 8-hour course and will focus on the following areas: Section Subject Area A Review of horizontal gaze nystagmus B Validation of the SFSTs, including the seated battery C Administrative procedures for administering and evaluating the seated battery of SFSTs D Demonstrations and student practice of the seated battery of SFSTs E Evaluation of test subjects; alcohol workshop video F Student proficiency exam and check-off.
Course Structure
The course consists of instructor lecture, aided by PowerPoint presentations, class interaction, and examination of wet lab video establishing evaluation criteria. The instructors will emphasize the importance of class interaction to ensure that all students understand the real-world implications of the body of knowledge.
Must have attended a recent SFST refresher
The class is designed for marine law enforcement officers and officials from federal, state, county, local and tribal agencies who have received previous NASBLA BUI instruction and now wish to gain knowledge and application skills in the utilization of the “seated battery of SFSTs” in BUI detection and enforcement.