Utah
Utah drunk driving arrests buck national trend
SALT LAKE CITY — Drunk driving deaths have jumped since the beginning of the pandemic while DUI arrests have dropped. However, Utah is bucking some of that trend.
The number of arrests for drunk driving dropped from over 1.3 million in 2010 to about 788,000 in 2023, according to the Wall Street Journal. That’s a drop of about half.
Utah bucks drunk driving trend
Utah stands out from other states because its number of arrests of people driving drunk has increased steadily over the last two decades. That comes from data updated earlier this year.
“In 2023, we arrested more impaired drivers than we have over the last six years,” said Col. Michael Rapich, Utah Highway Patrol, at a January legislative hearing. “Over 11,000.”
Data from the Utah Department of Public Safety shows DUI arrests in Utah hit 11,246, or “an average of 31 arrests per day.” That adds up to 833 more than 2022.
In 2022, 174 people died on Utah roads from alcohol-related accidents. That’s a rise of about 61 from the year before.
From 2010 to 2022, deaths from crashes involving a DUI increased from about 10,000 to 13,500.
What the national numbers show
Nationwide, the data shows drunk driving arrests hit a turning point during the pandemic.
According to the WSJ, police pulled drivers over less frequently to avoid catching COVID-19. In addition to that, the in-custody death of George Floyd, which prompted protests against police across the country, and again, a reduction in traffic stops. Police departments coast-to-coast also say the unrest greatly affected their recruitment and retention.
More empty roads during lockdowns reportedly also convinced drivers to engage in reckless behaviors, like skipping their seatbelts and driving far over the speed limit.
How to curb drunk driving
The National Highway Transportation and Safety Administation is eyeing a new technology it hopes will stop DUIs before they happen: Blood-alcohol readers in cars.
The NHTSA is exploring built-in devices like breathalyzers or skin sensors that will shut down the vehicle if the driver is impaired.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends two strategies more than others: sobriety checkpoints and saturation patrols.
The sobriety checks involve officers camping at a visible area and checking passing cars in a fixed sequence, say every fourth vehicle.
For saturation patrols, police publicize they will be out in force during a certain time and increase the number of officers looking for erratic driving behavior.
“Just like sobriety checkpoints, the goal of saturation patrols is to increase the perceived likelihood that impaired driving will be identified and penalized, leading to a reduction in impaired driving,” wrote the CDC on its website.
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Summit County Health Director Phil Bondurant said the early 2026 survey found men are suffering with significant mental and behavioral health challenges between the ages of 10 and 44. In the U.S., Bondurant said, suicide is the second leading cause of death, behind unintentional injury.
“It’s the eighth leading cause of death nationally across all ages of men,” he said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” June 8. “When we look at this in Utah, we are two times the national average in suicides, and when you look at men, three of the four suicides in the state of Utah are men.”
He said that’s disproportionate to women. Roughly 31 out of 100,000 suicide deaths in Utah are men while less than 9 deaths per 100,000 are women.
FULL INTERIVEW: Summit County Health Department Phil Bondurant
Bondurant said those statistics are related to men feeling isolated, experiencing depression and uncertainty about the future. But, he said the health department has worked to develop programs to break the stigma around men’s mental health and help people access care.
“It’s important that we remember that connection, conversation, help and support, just like our physical health, when we’re not feeling well or we break a bone, we go to the doctor, and they do what they do to help us get better and help our bodies mend,” he said. “Our mental health is the same way, we need to take care of it.”
He said uninsured residents that need help can call the health department and speak with the behavioral health team.
There is also a 24-hour 988 crisis hotline for people who need help or know someone who needs help. Utahns can also download the SafeUT app to speak with licensed counselors, submit safety tips and confidential help.
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