San Diego County Drunk Driving Arrests Increase Over Christmas Weekend

A few weeks ago, over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, we brought you a report that showed an increase in an San Diego drunk driving arrests over the same holiday weekend last year. Unfortunately, according to Signs on San Diego, during this past weekend’s holiday festivities, we saw a continuation of that trend. Last year, over the weekend of Christmas, police in San Diego County arrested 33 people on suspicion of driving under the influence. Over the same weekend this year, police made 56 arrests for driving while under the influence. Because Christmas fell on a Saturday last year and a Sunday this year, the relevant period of measurement in both years fell between Friday evening and early Monday morning.

This report demonstrates that in spite of an increased focus on drunk driving and a greater emphasis on arresting those who drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, there are still far too many drivers getting behind the wheel after having too much to drink. Indeed, drunk driving continues to be one of the biggest contributors to San Diego car accidents, even though the last few decades have seen citizens across the state and across the nation rally to increase awareness, safety regulations, and enforcement.

Like most, our San Diego car accident attorney would like to see the number of drunk drivers on the road decrease in 2012. One of the reasons that drunk driving continues to be so prevalent is that there continues to be a lack of adequate social pressure to counteract the tendency of bar patrons and party-goers to believe that they are “okay to drive” even when they have been drinking. The problem is that, unlike with many other crimes, fellow bar patrons are often unwilling to try to dissuade their friends from driving and even less unwilling to confiscate keys, especially when the driver is not obviously impaired. Additionally, people metabolize alcohol at different rates, and a drink that puts one person over the legal limit may not even put another person close to the legal limit. Therefore, it can be difficult for people to tell if they themselves are impaired, let alone their friends.

As we move into the new year, our San Diego injury attorney would like to encourage everyone to do his or her part to curtail drunk driving in San Diego and throughout the rest of the state. If you are going out with friends, always have a designated driver and make sure he or she sticks to that role all night. If you often go out with the same group of friends, take turns being the designated driver. If you cannot find anyone to drive, spend the few extra dollars to take a taxi home at the end of the night. The money you spend on a cab is negligible next to the amount you will pay in fines, court costs, and attorney fees if you are caught driving drunk or even worse, if you injure or kill someone because you got behind the wheel when you should not have.

See Our Related Blog Posts:

San Diego Drunk Driving Arrests Increase

Study Confirms No Amount of Alcohol Safe for Drivers