It’s common for DUI arrests and drunk driving crimes to spike during the holiday season. However, The Santa Clarita Valley Signal reports that DUI arrests over the New Year’s holiday weekend significantly decreased this year in Los Angeles County and in the state of California.
California Highway Patrol records show that 228 people in Los Angeles County were arrested between 6:00 p.m. on December 31, 2010 and 11:59 p.m. on January 2, 2011. This is down from 264 DUI arrests during the same time period last year. Across the state of California, authorities arrested 961 drunk drivers during this year’s New Year’s holiday, which is less than the 1,388 people that were arrested for DUI-related crimes during the same period a year ago.
What exactly has led to the decrease in DUI arrests? There has reportedly been an increase in DUI checkpoints and enforcement of drunk driving crimes over the past few years in Los Angeles. Perhaps the increased DUI enforcement has deterred people from getting behind the wheel after drinking and has encouraged people to designate sober drivers. Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies have also reportedly cracked down on people who were drunk in public over the past few years, which could discourage binge drinking and heavy alcohol consumption in the community.
To learn more about DUI laws and methods of enforcement in the state of California, visit our Related Resource pages. Los Angeles residents that have been arrested for driving under the influence may want to consider hiring a DUI attorney to help them understand possible defenses to a drunk driving charge.
Related Resources:
- Find a Los Angeles DUI Attorney (FindLaw)
- California DUI Law (FindLaw)
- DUI - Arrest (FindLaw)
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