Impaired driving arrests up sharply in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — The number of impaired driving cases in Utah continues to climb.

In 2022, there were over 10,400 DUI arrests. That number shot up to over 10,700 in 2023 and we’re only halfway through the year.

We’ve all heard the same before, driving impaired isn’t worth the potential for serious injury or death. What many also fail to remember is the financial burden that comes with a DUI arrest

“You’re going to be around $10,000, probably minimum in financial repercussions if you get arrested for DUI,” said Tyson Skee, a traffic safety resource prosecutor. “These are things that are long-lasting. They go on for a long time. It takes a long time to crawl out of it and some people never do and so the better decision is just don’t drink and drive.”

UHP urging safe driving for Memorial Day weekend

There will be increased trooper presence throughout the state this weekend as part of the state’s 100 Deadliest Days super blitz. Part of that is law enforcement reminding drivers that the objective of the .05 blood alcohol content law in Utah isn’t to arrest more people but to make people think twice about getting behind the wheel impaired.

Utah Highway Patrol Captain Wade Breur said, “People who are overconfident, and don’t take the opportunity to recognize in themselves that they are impaired on a substance, they choose to get behind the wheel and then the tragedy happens.”

There are so many alternative ways to get home this holiday weekend, other than driving impaired. Uber, Lift, and public transit are some of the many options available.