Drunk Driver Arrests Drop Considerably on Holiday

To the delight of law enforcement officials, San Diego County residents seem to be heeding warnings about drinking and driving over the New Year’s holiday, as the number of drunk driving arrests dipped well below totals for a year ago.

The California Highway Patrol reported that about half as many people were arrested on suspicion of drunk driving on freeways compared to last year during the 12-hour period beginning at 6 p.m. New Year’s Eve.

Arrests in San Diego and other county cities also declined, prompting authorities to speculate that increased police patrols targeting drunk drivers and a heightened awareness among motorists about the problems of driving after drinking may have caused the drop.

“I was surprised the numbers were so low,� said Lt. C.R. Van Putten of the San Diego police. “Every indication we have is that there were probably fewer people driving drunk.�

A CHP spokeswoman said 71 people were arrested on suspicion of drunk driving on San Diego County freeways, less than half of the 144 arrests the Highway Patrol made during the New Year’s holiday a year ago. In San Diego, 39 drunk driving arrests were made between 8 p.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday, compared to 49 during a similar period a year ago.

Hoping to curb problems with drunk drivers, San Diego police increased the patrol units on the road, and the officers concentrated their efforts on sections of the city with popular watering holes, such as Mission Valley and the beach areas.

“The presence of the police cars helps,� Van Putten said. “I think when people see a patrol car cruise by, it gives them second thoughts about driving after drinking.�

Authorities stressed, however, that the drop may have occurred partly because the CHP and local law enforcement agencies were unable to set up roadside sobriety checkpoints, which netted 17 arrests by San Diego police and 16 by the CHP a year ago.

The controversial tactic has been banned until the state Supreme Court decides whether the checkpoints are constitutional and do not infringe on a person’s right to privacy.

In addition, police speculated that many people may have spent New Year’s Eve at home because the holiday did not fall on a weekend, making it less convenient for full-scale partying. Van Putten said San Diego had fewer drunk driving arrests on New Year’s than were made by police last Halloween night, a fact she felt resulted because Halloween came on a Friday.

“Next year may be a little different,� Van Putten said, noting that New Year’s Eve will fall on a Friday.

Meanwhile, police don’t know whether alcohol played a role in the only fatal traffic accident during the New Year’s holiday. A 23-year-old San Diego man was killed Thursday morning when he lost control of his car while driving through Balboa Park, police said.

Allen Wayne Reed died of injuries at the scene about 7:30 a.m. Reed was northbound on 26th Street at a “high rate of speed,� police said, when he lost control, causing the car to spin out, hit a guardrail and overturn. He was pinned behind the wheel.

An unidentified passenger was able to crawl out through a window and was taken to Mercy Hospital with minor injuries, authorities said.

Police said the coroner’s office will determine whether Reed had been drinking before the accident. A year ago, there was one traffic fatality attributed to drunk driving during the New Year’s holiday.

A Highway Patrol spokeswoman said 19 arrests were made in East County, 17 in North County and the remaining 35 in the central part of the county.

Police in La Mesa said five people were arrested for drunk driving on the city’s streets between 6 p.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday.

In Carlsbad, three people were arrested, while in Chula Vista seven drunk driving arrests were made. Fifteen arrests were made in Escondido. National City had no arrests for drunk driving over the New Year’s holiday.

Spokesmen in each of the cities said the arrest totals were generally lower than previous years, but they could not cite statistics.