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Fewer Labor Day DUI Arrests, But Higher Number of Drugged Drivers

Wednesday, September 5, 2012 13:22

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The results are in from law-enforcement agencies’ annual Labor Day weekend crackdown: Arizona officers made fewer traffic stops and fewer DUI arrests than last year, AZfamily.com reports.

Were there fewer DUI arrests because fewer people were pulled over, or were there actually fewer drunken drivers on the road this year? Your guess is as good as mine. Let’s hope it’s the latter.

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This past weekend, more than 1,400 officers were on patrol across Arizona as part of the “Drive Hammered, Get Nailed” operation. This year, officers made 11,100 traffic stops, compared to 13,800 last year.

During the three-day weekend, officers across the state made a total 564 DUI arrests. That may seem like a lot, but it’s an improvement over last year’s 617 DUI arrests.

Of the 564 DUI arrests this year, 60 were for aggravated DUI. Aggravated DUI charges arise when certain aggravating factors exist that elevate a DUI offense to the level of a felony.

For example, committing a third or subsequent DUI offense within a seven-year period, or committing a DUI offense while driving on a revoked license, will get you an aggravated DUI charge in Arizona. Driving impaired while a child under 15 is in the car, or while an ignition interlock system is supposed to be installed in your car, can lead to aggravated DUI charges as well.

While overall DUI arrests were down this year, the number of drugged driving arrests increased. Last year, 69 drivers were arrested for driving high. This year, 92 were arrested.

Arizona has a zero-tolerance policy for drugged driving. That means if you’re found to have even a trace of drugs in your system while driving, you can be arrested for DUI.

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