Arizona sees small jump in number of DUI arrests over the holidays
Jan 3, 2017, 2:48 PM
(AP Photo)
(AP Photo)
PHOENIX — Arizona saw a small jump in the number of DUI arrests made last year by a statewide task force when compared to 2015, data released Tuesday showed.
The Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety reported 2,202 drivers were arrested on suspicion of DUI between the Thanksgiving and New Year holidays in 2016. That number was up from 2,134 arrests in 2015.
The arrests were made as several task forces were rolled out across the state, most notably over the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s weekends.
Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Director Alberto Gutier said, in addition to the uptick in DUI arrests, the task forces reported more contacts with sober designated drivers and gave out more citations for child restraint and speeding violations in 2016 than in past years.
He said those are positive signs that the task forces are working.
“There’s good signs, but the best sign of all is that we were able to prevent some major tragedies from people that forgot to call Uber, a taxi or do something else.”
KTAR’s Martha Maurer contributed to this report.
