DUI arrests down 35 percent from last year over Cinco de Mayo weekend
May 7, 2018, 3:34 PM
(Pexels Photo)
(Pexels Photo)
PHEONIX — Based on DUI enforcement statistics, Arizonans were more responsible in their Cinco de Mayo weekend partying this year than in 2017.
According to numbers released Monday by the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, DUI arrests this past weekend fell nearly 35 percent from the same weekend a year ago.
There were 325 drivers arrested for driving under the influence on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, a steep drop from the 504 such arrests in 2017.
The number of traffic stops fell 17 percent, from 10,460 to 8,671.
Of those stopped in 2017, 48 percent were arrested for DUI. That was down to 37 percent this year.
The statistics for each year covered the Thursday, Friday and Saturday of Cinco de Mayo weekend. In 2017, the holiday itself fell on a Friday, and it was on Saturday this year.
The reductions can’t be attributed to a change in law enforcement presence. There were 2,182 officers and deputies participating over the weekend, only 10 fewer than the total from 2017.
This year’s statistics were more in line with results from two years ago, when the holiday fell on a Thursday. For May 5-7 of 2016, 9,570 stops resulted in 378 DUI arrests.
