Drunk-Driving Crackdown in County Seen in CHP Data for ’84 : Arrests Up 7.1%, but Accident Rate Rises, Too

Orange County’s rate of drunk-driving arrests rose in 1984, exceeding a statewide increase in all of California, but the number of accidents related to drunk driving also grew at a sobering rate, according to records compiled by the California Highway Patrol for its Orange County patrol area.

Santa Ana CHP spokesman Paul Caldwell, commenting on figures released Friday, said that in 1984, the number of drunk-driving arrests made by the CHP in the territory, covering “almost all” of Orange County, was up 7.1% from 1983, compared with a 4.8% increase statewide. (Westminster and Buena Park arrests were excluded from the totals, because they are patrolled by the Los Angeles CHP, he said.)

The news that Orange County had been more aggressive in enforcing laws against drunk driving was offset, however, by the Highway Patrol’s figures on accidents related to drinking: While the number of such accidents rose 0.6% statewide, the increase was 14% in the county. Caldwell said drinking was a factor in 995 Orange County accidents investigated by the CHP in 1984. The only exception to the trend came during the Christmas holiday season, when increased patrols seemed to curb the accident rate in most of the county.

Caldwell speculated that population growth and the region’s high standard of living were factors contributing to the accident rate, but said no formal study has been done.

‘Lot of Driving’ “Orange County is pretty affluent. There are a lot of social contacts and a lot of driving on the freeway here,” he said. “There are just a lot more people on the road.”

The accident rate could turn out to be different after the CHP adds in arrests and accidents handled by community police departments. Caldwell said those numbers are still being collected.

During the holiday season, when drunk driving is a greater problem, Caldwell said, the number of alcohol-related accidents in California fell, for the fourth year in a row.

Many city police departments in the county reported a similar pattern.

Drunk-driving accidents last month were fewer in Anaheim, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Tustin, police said.

“Just on the surface, it appears that all (drinking) related accidents went way down,” said Anaheim police Sgt. Ron Lovejoy. Also, he noted, drunk-driving arrests in the holiday period were the most numerous since 1981.

Lovejoy attributed the higher arrest rate to the police “sobriety checkpoint,” the only such operation in Orange County. Seven stops were set up to screen motorists between Dec.14 and Jan.1, and 44 drivers were arrested.

Of the cities that added police personnel to catch intoxicated drivers, only Costa Mesa, San Clemente and Tustin did not see a dramatic increase in the number of arrests.

Drunk Driving Arrests Up Fullerton and Newport Beach reported that drunk-driving arrests were more numerous than in several years.

Fullerton put three officers on special drunk-driving detail during the holidays, and Newport Beach had four officers on similar assignment for the month of December.

Newport Beach Police Sgt. Gene Senecal quoted from a letter sent to all officers, which read, in part: “This department removed over 300 potential killers from the city streets during December. As a result of this extra effort there were no fatalities and very few serious injury collisions during the month.”

Most police departments said that increasing manpower and maintaining a “high profile” proved to be successful tactics for dealing with the holiday drunk-driving problem, and will be repeated this year.

Santa Ana police are working to increase public awareness throughout the year, by handing out “No DUI” pins and keychains donated by the Adolph Coors brewery.

Jessie Sisco, supervising clerk of the Public Offenses Division of the West Orange County Municipal Court, said the average sentence for a first offense is now 48 hours in jail, a $664 fine, a 90-day restriction on driving, assignment to traffic school and three years’ probation.

“We have really been getting down on drunk drivers,” said Sisco. “September through January are busy . . . but this is one of our busiest times of the year.’