Countywide : Holiday DUI Arrests Decreased This Year

The number of motorists arrested for driving under the influence during the first 48-hour period of the Christmas holiday was down slightly this year, a Sheriff’s Department spokesman said Thursday.

In the 48 hours beginning Monday at 6 p.m., 89 drivers were booked into Orange County Jail, compared to 103 arrests during the same 48-hour period last year, according to Lt. Dick Olson.

The Sheriff’s Department, which booked drivers arrested by all law enforcement agencies in the county, including the California Highway Patrol, was busier this year during the second 24 hours than during the first, Olson said.

From 6 p.m. Monday to 6 p.m. Tuesday, 41 motorists were arrested for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, compared to 58 on the same day in 1984.

However, from 6 p.m. Christmas Eve to 6 p.m. Christmas Day, the number increased to 48 arrests this year. The number of recorded bookings for that period in 1984 decreased to 45, Olson said.