New Year's Drunk Driving Arrests

The partying is done and 2011 is officially here...and surprisingly, the drunk driving arrests this past weekend were quite low.

Sergeant Clark Felix of The State Highway Patrol says there were only two drunk driving arrests this holiday weekend. The Highway Patrol also handled eight wrecks with only two of them involving injuries; all of the wrecks were non-alcohol related.

"New Year's Eve really isn't a big time for us. There are so many people that take advantage of the free cab rides and have designated drivers," said Sgt. Felix.

Felix says the number of DUI arrests were down during this New Year's compared to last year's number being slightly over the two mark figure. Felix says the decrease in numbers has a lot to do with the economy making people stay at home instead of spending more money by going out. He also says winter holidays show less arrests than others.

"Most DUI arrests that we make during the holiday season are the summer holidays. Memorial Day, Labor Day, 4th of July, seems like there is a whole lot more partying going on than there is in the winter months," said Sgt. Felix.

Felix says there were a total of five troopers out on New Year's with two of them working overtime.

SOURCE