Driving Under the Influence Laws and Arrests

In the last 15 years, there have been 192,000 “driving under the influence” (DUI) arrests in Utah.  DUI is driving or in physical control of a vehicle on a roadway in Utah with 0.08% or more alcohol in the blood, or “unsafe” driving due to alcohol or other drugs in the body. DUI is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by a fine, jail or community service, 90-day license suspension, an alcohol class, or alcohol problem assessment. More severe criminal actions are taken for DUI with a passenger under the age of 16 years, DUI with an injury or fatal crash, or DUI that is the second or more DUI offense within 6 years.

 In 2000 there were 15,428 arrests for DUI in Utah (Table 1).  Most of the DUI arrests (34.4%) occurred in Salt Lake County, followed by Utah (12.2%), Davis (10.9%) and Weber (10.4%) counties. The average blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of those arrested was 0.14%.  The average fine for DUI convictions was $1,163.

 Table 2 shows the number of DUI arrests by age. The largest percentage of those arrested was between the ages of 25 to 36 years.   For the under 21 years age group there is the “Not-a-drop” law, which is zero alcohol tolerance for drivers under the age of 21 years. For teenagers between the ages of 13 to 18 years, there is the “Use-lose” law, which suspends or postpones the teenagers’ license for 6 or more months for the purchase, attempt-to-purchase, possession or use of alcohol or other drugs.