Aftermath of the Holiday DUI Enforcement Period
Amidst a global pandemic, it came as a shock to California to see a rather large spike in DUI arrests after the holidays. This spike also played its part in San Diego county. California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported their officers arresting 573 individuals for DUI’s statewide. This is more than double the statistic for 2019, at 271 DUI arrests. San Diego county was home to 30 of the arrests that took place over this period in 2021. These San Diego specific statistics aligned with the surge from 2019 to 2020. In 2019, there were 15 DUI arrests in San Diego county and 30 recorded DUI arrests in 2020.
This period of increase is being attributed to the holidays falling during the week this year. CHP Officer Jim Bettencourt, claims that by Christmas falling on a Friday, the holiday enforcement period was spread over four days, Dec. 24th – 27th, compared to the normal three- day enforcement period.
Fatalities
The high jump in DUI arrests numbers from 2019 to 2020 may have come as a shock. However, the increase in collision fatalities during this period comes at an even bigger shock. In 2019, there were 10 deaths, statewide, that resulted from traffic collisions and a record 38 in 2020.
Increased DUI Arrests
The increase in DUI arrests during the holiday enforcement period has been speculated to be the result of a few reasons. One of the most prom inert is that fewer people flying this year resulted in more individuals on the roads. Many are also attribute to the joy and happiness the holiday season brings along with the consumption of alcohol without a throughout plan for a designated driver.
Seatbelts
It may also come as a surprise to see that many people are still not abiding by the seatbelt laws. California Highway Patrol (CHP) reports show that a substantial percentage of reported collisions involved drivers or passengers not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision.
The precautions one takes during the Holiday period should carry over throughout the year. In light of the drastic spike in DUI arrests that spanned over this DUI holiday enforcement period, extra precautions should be taken to ensure the safety of oneself and others.
San Diego County
If you happen to find yourself in the unfortunate predicament of a DUI, contact a DUI lawyer immediately. If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation in San Diego county, Rick Mueller, California DUI Lawyers Association Designated Specialist, always has his client’s best interest and is sure to get you the best outcome for your specific situation.
Aftermath of the Holiday DUI Enforcement Period