As the holiday season approaches, law enforcement agencies across Arizona are making a push to get drunk drivers off the road.
The span between Thanksgiving and New Years is the deadliest season for impaired driving accidents, according to Jason Frazier. He is the Executive Director of the Arizona chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
He's urging people to make a plan about how to get home safely from a party or bar, before they go out and celebrate. If someone finds themselves asking the question, "am I okay to drive home?" he says, that answer is always no.
"This is 100% preventable. Period," Frazier said.
The Arizona Governor's Office of Highway Safety just recently released it's report on DUI enforcement statistics over Halloween weekend. This year, law enforcement agencies statewide spent extra days patrolling the roads to try and catch drunk drivers.
The report shows that in 2016, officers made 5,878 traffic stops over Halloween weekend, stretching from Oct. 29th-31st. This year, officers made 11,634 traffic stops over Halloween weekend, stretching from Oct. 27th-31st. In 2016, officers made 216 DUI arrests. This year, they made 447 DUI arrests.
"It's really bad to see those numbers," Frazier said. "But on another hand, it's a great thing that they're out there making those stops and keeping us safe."
Moving into the holiday season, Frazier hopes to see this law enforcement crackdown on drinking and driving continue. However, he also hopes people make smart decisions and do not get behind the wheel when the have been drinking, putting their life and everyone else's lives on the road in danger.
"Think about those loved ones. Think about your children. Think about your mother, your father, your sister, your brother, your wife, your girlfriend," he said. "Think about everything you've built up with all of those people, and think about what it would be like to take all of that away. Not just for you, but for someone else."
