Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84GoodLifeFamilyMag.com JULY | AUGUST 2016 17 “A few years ago, a group of teens were celebrating their high school graduation at a lake by renting a big party boat with a slide and diving board,” recalls Allphin. “They were all drinking and, unfortunately, one of them died. He was heavily intoxicated and, after jumping into the water, he passed out and drowned.” Before your teens decide to crank up the tunes and pop open a cold one on the boat, remind them that drinking and driving is a crime on land and water. Texas’ Boating While Intoxicated (BWI) law states that “a person who either appears to be impaired and/or has a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or higher while operating a boat can be arrested.” This could result in up to 180 days of jail time, up to $2,000 in fines, and a driver’s license suspension. Even if alcohol isn’t involved, there’s the issue of liability if the person operating your boat or jet ski causes an accident. “The liability and rules that apply to driving in a vehicle are almost the same for boating,” explains Robert L. Chaiken, an attorney and partner in Chaiken & Chaiken P.C. in Plano that specializes in civil litigation, including personal injury and wrongful death. “If you’re operating a boat and cause an accident, you’re liable just like you’d be if you were driving a car-to the people in your vehicle and anyone else you get in an accident with.” Speaking of liability, what about any mishaps that occur at your lake house? “If someone gets injured on your lake house property, you’d have the same kinds of liability and concerns that you’d have in your own home,” Chaiken says. His advice? “Get the same kind of insurance protection (homeowners insurance) on your lake house as you have on your home.” To balance both fun and safety, it all boils down to using a common-sense approach. “Limit the number of people you allow at the lake house, identify them ahead of time, and square it away with all their parents,” advises Chaiken. “Plus, know your kids’ level of maturity and responsibility, have a lot of rules, talk about what’s acceptable, and check in with your kids to monitor what’s going on if they’ll be unsupervised.” RESOURCES Stacie R. Allphin, MS, LCDC, Director of Adolescent Services, Memorial Hermann Prevention and Recovery Center | memorialhermann.org 713.704.4000 Robert L. Chaiken, partner, Chaiken & Chaiken, P.C. | chaikenlaw.com 214.265.0250 goodLIVING To jumpstart your conversation about water safety, boating, and alcohol, cue up these safety tips: 1. KNOW YOUR SURROUNDINGS. Swimming in a pool is a lot different than swimming in open water, where cold tem- peratures, strong currents, jagged rocks, uneven surfaces, submerged objects, and unpredictable weather increase the dangers. 2. AVOID ALCOHOL. Allphin points out that alcohol dehydrates, slows reaction time, and impairs balance, coordination, and judgment. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the probability of being killed in a boating acci- dent doubles when alcohol is involved. 3. ALWAYS WEAR A LIFE JACKET, even if you know how to swim. 4. NEVER SWIM ALONE. Swim in areas supervised by a lifeguard. If that’s not possible, always swim with a buddy so you’ve got some built-in help if needed. 5. KEEP OTHERS INFORMED. If you’re heading out for a swim (or a jaunt on a boat, inner tube, etc.), tell someone on land where you’re going and when you’ll be back. 6. BE PREPARED. Learn how to perform CPR. With more than 580,000 registered boats in Texas, education is key. The Texas Water Safe- ty Act requires boater education training for anyone born on or after September 1, 1993 who wants to operate certain vessels. For information on approved boater education courses, visit tpwd.texas. gov/boatered or call (800) 792-1112. Most course fees start at $20, but boaters can take a free online course available through The BoatUS Foundation. "A teenager’s frontal lobe (the judgment and decision-making area) is not yet developed. This is why teens act impulsively and appear to make poor decisions. As a result, many teens participate in high-risk activities, such as jet skiing while intoxicated, jumping off cliffs into water, etc.” - Stacie R. Allphin MS, LCDC, Director of Adolescent Services, Memorial Hermann Prevention and Recovery Center "Before your teens decide to crank up the tunes and pop open a cold one on the boat, remind them that drinking and driving is a crime on land and water." - Robert L. Chaiken, partner, Chaiken & Chaiken, P.C.