The Thanksgiving holiday marked the beginning of the 28th consecutive year of Arizona’s statewide crackdown on drunk and drugged drivers. The crackdown is administered through the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, and involves more than 80 law enforcement agencies throughout the state. The primary operations of the program are increased DUI patrols, as well as mobile command centers that will allow for the quick processing of those charged with DUI offenses. Interestingly, one official stated that Arizona does not employ DUI checkpoints to as great a degree as in some other states.
In the greater Phoenix area, the crackdown started in earnest near Sun Devil Stadium, where the ASU and University of Arizona football teams were vying for local honors this year. An area command center was set up in Tempe, and participating agencies included the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, as well as local police from numerous municipalities, including Tempe, Chandler, Mesa, Scottsdale, and Gilbert. While figures are still being compiled, a total of 74 people were arrested statewide during the first night of the crackdown. In addition to enforcement efforts such as those described above, DPS holds workshops to train officers in DUI-related matters.
Concerns over the problem of driving under the influence during the holidays include both the increase in the number of DUI arrests, as well as the increase in arrests for extreme DUI’s, that is, for driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.15 or more. A BAC of 0.15 is almost twice the legal limit. Last year, for example, the number extreme DUI arrests during the holidays was up by about 12% over the number during the previous year. And the number of arrests for DUI was up by 16% compared with the same period in 2011.
Having mentioned that the number of holiday arrests for DUI and extreme DUI are up, we should also tell you that on a national level, only about two-thirds of those arrested for DUI/DWI are convicted of that charge. And the conviction rate varies not only from state to state, but from county to county within Arizona. When you add increased enforcement efforts to the mix, it’s difficult to say with any degree of certainty that there are more drunk or drugged drivers on the road now than during holiday time in the past several years.
The Feldman Law Firm PLLC
1 E. Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004
(602) 540-7887
