Law enforcement agencies across the state started ramping up DUI enforcement on Wednesday.
The increased enforcement will last through the busy Labor Day weekend, according to the Utah Department of Safety.
According to a news release, law enforcement officers from 25 different agencies in Utah will be working more than 180 extra DUI shifts leading up to Sept. 4.
Utah’s legal blood alcohol limit officially dropped to 0.05 percent in late 2018. The law applies to vehicles and bicycles.
So far this year, there have been 573 car crashes related to drugs or alcohol in Utah, and 51 people died in those wrecks, according to DPS. In 2022, more than 10,400 people were arrested on suspicion of DUI in the state, an average of 28.5 arrests per day.
“Every incident of impaired driving is 100 percent preventable if drivers make the choice to act responsibly,” Robyn LaLumia, director of the Utah Highway Safety Office, said in a statement.
She urged people who choose to drink to arrange a sober ride home, whether through public transit, a designated driver, a friend or relative, or an Uber or Lyft.
“The consequences are too severe,” she continued.
What to do if you see a drunken driver
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Highway Patrol trooper Daud Eftin gives a field sobriety test during a DUI blitz on New Year's Eve in 2018, a day after the state's BAC limit of 0.05 percent went into effect.
If you suspect a driver is impaired, call 911. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s DWI (driving while impaired) detection guide, signs of an impaired driver include:
• Drifting while taking a turn or curve.
• Not paying attention to surroundings.
• Swerving or weaving across lanes.
• Stopping too far away from or too short of traffic signals, or having a slow response.
• Driving at night without headlights.
• Driving with varying speed or driving about 10 mph under the speed limit.
