SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 20, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah Highway Patrol has released statistics after Friday’s statewide DUI blitz on St. Patrick’s Day.
UHP spokesman Sgt. Todd Royce told Gephardt Daily troopers pulled over 1,893 vehicles and arrested 38 drivers for driving under the influence in a 24-hour period beginning at 6 a.m. Friday.
Royce said there were no alcohol-related crashes or fatalities on Utah roadways over the weekend, and with the holiday being on a Friday, the department is grateful for that.
He added the Utah Highway Safety Office gave the UHP more than 100 extra DUI shifts to be used statewide and more than 200 overtime shifts for police agencies to enforce DUI related offences over the holiday weekend.
“It was a worry for us with St. Patrick’s Day leading into a weekend,” Royce said. “We want to thank people who knew they were going to be drinking and planned either a ride share, a taxi or a designated driver. Thank you for doing it the right way. It was the best case scenario for us that people had a plan and decided to not to drive impaired.”
Of the the total number of traffic stops, Royce said there were 122 seat belt violations and 967 speed violations.
