DUI enforcement stepped up for holiday weekend

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The City of Maricopa Police Department, in conjunction with the Pinal County Regional DUI Task Force, is participating in the Holiday DUI Enforcement Program in an effort to deter impaired driving during the holiday season. Selected enforcement dates will include the weekend after Thanksgiving and weekends during the month of December.

Impaired drivers account for a high percentage of serious personal injury and fatal collisions. In an attempt to lower these numbers, MPD is focusing on a combination of aggressive enforcement and public education. In the coming year, MPD will expand its educational component by reaching out to high school students about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. 

MPD is also implementing a program focusing on educating owners of establishments serving alcohol and their patrons of the law and consequences of impaired driving. One of the key emphases is to help the public understand the actual legal limit is any amount of alcohol or drugs that impairs one’s ability to drive.

MPD reports the following DUI-related statistics for 2010 and the first three quarters of 2011:

Total DUI Arrests                                                                208                                  129

Non-Alcohol DUI Arrests                                                     41                                     30

Felony DUI Arrests                                                              15                                    18

Extreme DUI (BAC excess .15)                                            75                                    47

DUI enforcement activities and education are coordinated by Sgt. Tim Truett of the Traffic Unit. For more information or questions, call him at 520-251-2936.