2,000 DUI arrests made in Arizona between Thanksgiving, Christmas
Dec 27, 2017, 11:01 AM | Updated: 2:57 pm
(AP File Photo)
(AP File Photo)
PHOENIX — Arizona authorities have made more than 2,000 arrests for driving while under the influence as part of a statewide crackdown over the holiday season.
The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety released the preliminary data on Tuesday. The statistics covered nearly five weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
In all, officers around the state made more than 63,000 traffic stops during the period.
Of the DUI arrests, most involved misdemeanor charges, while 415 were considered extreme cases and another 262 were aggravated cases.
Related: Arizona reports slight jump in number of Thanksgiving weekend DUI arrests
The enforcement effort also resulted in more than 1,000 seat belt citations, 718 criminal speeding citations and nearly 90 reckless driving citations.
Alberto Gutier with the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety said the numbers reflect an increasing trend of DUI arrests in the Valley.
“The consequences could be that you could lose your job, it could cost you big bucks,” he said. “Imagine if you got into a crash and injured somebody, we’ve seen so many crashes and numbers in Arizona have gone up over the last two years.”
Gutier said he encourages those who plan to ring in the new year with a little bit of bubbly to have a designated driver or use a ride-sharing app like Uber or Lyft.
“That’s so important to be able to see more and more sober designated drivers, but also more and more people are calling Uber or taking a taxi,” he said. “That’s what’s important.”
KTAR News’ Tom Perumean and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
