ST. GEORGE – The Utah Highway Patrol was out in force over Presidents Day weekend in Washington County as units kept a watchful eye out for drunk drivers.
Like other holiday weekends the UHP sent officers to Washington County who proceeded to set up DUI check points and waited for potentially impaired drivers. They didn’t have to wait long.
Lt. Steve Winward, a spokesman for the UHP, said 15 people were arrested for DUIs over the weekend.
Official numbers have yet to be produced on how the 2012 Presidents Day weekend compares with previous years. However, if the trend is what Winward said he suspects it is, the number for local and statewide DUI-related arrests and fatalities will be low.
“Utah has either led the nation or has been in high-rankings for DUIs,” Winward said.
Utah currently ranks as no. 1 in the nation for having the lowest amounts of DUI-related underage fatalities according to the Mothers Against Drunk Driving website. A report from the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice to the Utah Legislature in 2010 also placed the state at the top of the list for lowest DUI fatalities overall.
The report credited the low rate of deaths to the continuous efforts of the UHP.
State-wide statistics relating to DUI fatalities and other road-related incidents can be found at ZeroFatalities.com.
Related Link:
– Who pays attention to New Year’s Eve DUI warnings?
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Copyright 2012 St. George News