Dated: September 7, 2011

It was reported by Arizona Governor's Office of Highway Safety on Tuesday that the 2011 Labor Day Holiday had fewer DUI arrests than the previous year. Last year the state reports 949 people were arrested for driving under the influence but this year 617 drivers were cited. 192, of the 617 arrests were for extreme DUI meaning their blood alcohol level was at least double the legal limit, 79 drivers were repeat offenders and 43 of the drivers were under the legal drinking age of 21.

The statewide taskforce to nab these less than sober drivers was out in full force over the holiday weekend. Police were patrolling in larger numbers than ever before so the fact that arrests were down is something to find encouraging. However, until the number of drunk drivers is 0 we have work yet to do.

Drunk drivers take a life every 23 minutes throughout the United States between the hours of midnight and 3am. Every year 11,000 people die from drunk driving accidents. Auto accidents in general kill 2.57 people everyday in Arizona alone leaving an additional one person injured every 9.39 minutes. When you compare the two statistics it is easy to see that too many of the reported fatalities are the result of impaired drivers. The economic impact of these injuries and deaths is vast not to mention the emotional devastation that is left in the paths of these accidents.

To get more information on this topic or if you have been the victim of a drunk driving accident please contact us today and please, do not drink and drive.