(Radio Iowa) – Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is expanding its focus as we head into summer to remind people not to drink and drive while using boats and ATV’s. MADD regional director, Erin Payton, says the number of incidents off the highways has increased and they want to remind people about safety. “We just want to make sure that people are realizing that even though you’re not behind the wheel of a car, you are still operating a vehicle,” she says. MADD is working with the Iowa DNR to get the word out.

She says boats and ATV’s can pose different challenges than driving a car on a highway that is laid out flat and marked. “We know that if you’ve been on an ATV on a trail, there’s a lot of blind turns, there’s no stoplights on a trail, ” Payton says. “It’s the same thing with boating, you know, you can very easily get yourself in a situation that’s out of your control, sober, and then when you add, alcohol or drug impairment — that takes away your ability for quick reflexes for smart decision making.”

Payton says they are also stressing that your boat or ATV are in good shape. “We want to make sure that you’re trained, and you have appropriate safety gear. So if you’re on a boat, you’ve got a lifejacket, if you’re on an ATV, you’ve got helmets and goggles,” she says. “And we also want to make sure that people are limiting the time on these vehicles because, you know, fatigue does play a factor into it.” Payton says ATV’s and boats are seen as ways to have fun and that’s how alcohol can get involved, along with distractions. “Just like in a car, the more people in your car are more distracting. The more people on the boat is more distracting. And with the children on ATVs too, we want to stress that single rider ATVs should just be single rider ATVs,” Payton says. “There’s always that you want to have more fun. So you want to add someone onto your ATV. But if it’s only for one person, just stick with one person.”

She says adding alcohol to the mix is the worst thing you can do. “Here’s a great statistic — a recreational boat operator with a blood alcohol level at or above .10, has a fatality rate 10 times of a sober operator. So you know, even more so almost than driving a car. Because you do that more often right? Doing voting and ATVs while not being sober is a recipe for disaster,” Payton says. Payton says they want everyone to think about these things as we head into the summer driving, boating and ATV season.