BUFORD, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
If you're thinking of drinking and getting behind the wheel of a boat, think again. Law enforcement will be watching you.
Starting this weekend, the Department of Natural Resources and the Gwinnett County Police Department are beefing up patrols on Lake Lanier. They're going after boaters who've had too much to drink.
Judy Goodman has been boating for four years on the lake. Some boaters are not careful, she said.
"We see a lot of people zooming by too fast - they don't pay attention," Goodman said. "They drink, they go too fast, they don't pay attention."
Craig Brewer is glad DNR is stepping up patrols because, he said, there have been too many crashes on the water.
"It's pretty intense in some areas of the lake. There's always a chance for accidents," Brewer said.
The crackdown comes after the most recent high-profile accident. Nine-year-old Jake Prince and his 13-year-old brother Griffin died after another boat slammed into the one their family was in.
Paul Bennet is accused of drinking and operating the boat that plowed into the boys.
DNR's Col. Eddie Henderson said drinking and boating is a serious crime that should never be taken lightly.
"When you get to the point where you got violations or you got alcohol, it impairs operating abilities. That's when problems occur," Henderson said.
Gov. Deal said he would press lawmakers to pass legislation to reduce the blood alcohol level for operating a boat while drunk to the same level that it is for driving a car while drunk.
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