For close to a decade, from 2004 to 2012, Arizona has seen a consistent increase in the number of yearly arrests for driving under the influence. But last year, for the first time in ten years, the number decreased. Before you come to any specific conclusions, you should be aware that some cities, including Tucson and Nogales, registered an increase over the 2012 numbers.
Here are some of the specific, and in some cases surprising, statistics:
- Total DUI arrests in 2013 were 29,163, down from 32,171. That might not seem like a big difference, but it’s a decline of over 9%.
- Of the more than 29,000 arrests, most were for misdemeanor DUI. But over 3,500 were for aggravated DUI, which would include a number of different possible issues, including two or more prior DUI convictions within 84 months, driving under the influence with a minor passenger under the age of fifteen, or DUI with a suspended or revoked license due to a prior DUI.
- You might be astounded to learn that the average blood alcohol content (BAC) of those arrested was measured at 0.151. That’s almost twice the legal limit of 0.08, and almost four times the limit if you are driving a commercial vehicle.
- Consistent with the relatively high average BAC, is the fact the almost 25% of those arrested were charged with extreme DUI, that is, driving with a BAC of 0.15 or higher.
- The number of under 21 DUI arrests fell by about 15%, a good sign on the issue of underage drinking and driving, although the statistics did not tell us how many of those arrests were for alcohol and how many involved drugs.
- Finally, we saw over 4,000 arrests for drug-related DUI’s in 2013.
Although the numbers look promising if you are looking at the overall DUI picture, it is difficult to know whether the figures are really meaningful. We say this because while the DUI arrests fell by 9%, the number of overall traffic stops also declined, by about 12.5%. Hopefully, the both the drop in the number of arrests and in the number of stops indicate a lower incidence of drunk and drugged driving, but time will tell if this is in fact the case.
The Feldman Law Firm PLLC
1 E. Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004
(602) 540-7887
