Holiday DUI Arrests Up Statewide

The California Highway Patrol reports that they have made more state-wide drunken-driving arrests this holiday than a year ago. It´s the third holiday this year where the number of such arrests have increased, including Labor Day and Memorial Day.

CHP officers around the state arrested 643 motorists on suspicion of driving under the influence from 6 p.m. Wednesday until 6 a.m. Friday. Last year, there were 602 arrests.

The CHP does not necessarily attribute the spike to more inebriated drivers on the road. A heightened terrorist alert over Memorial Day weekend put more CHP officers on the road, while more focused patrols may have contributed to the increase in arrests over the Labor Day weekend.

But the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving say the figures show that more work needs to be done to educate drivers.