Background:
The 23rd Annual DUI Report to the Utah Legislature was prepared in accordance with §41-6a-511 of the Utah Code. The statute requires the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice to prepare an annual report of DUI related data, including the following:
- Data collected by the state courts to allow sentencing and enhancement decisions to be made in accordance with violations involving driving under the influence of alcohol and/or other drugs;
- Data collected by the justice courts (same DUI related data elements collected by the state courts); and
- Any measures for which data are available to evaluate the profile and impacts of DUI recidivism and to evaluate the DUI related processes of: law enforcement; adjudication; sanctions; driver license control; and alcohol education, assessment, and treatment.
Law Enforcement: DUI-Related Arrests & Enforcement Activities
- 10,923 DUI-related arrests were made in FY 2025, 517 less (-5%) than in FY 2024.
- Utah’s DUI-related arrest rate (31.1 per 10,000 population in FY 2025, a historic low) has declined steadily over the years (14% decrease since FY 2016, 47% since FY 2009), even as the population has greatly increased in the same time (27% increase in statewide population). The rate has stabilized in the low 30s the past 8 years.
- The majority of arrests occurred along the Wasatch Front, with Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, and Weber Counties accounting for 68% of the total. While counties outside the Wasatch Front only accounted for 32% of the total, this was disproportionate to their population (25%).
- DUI-related arrests in FY 2025 displayed the following characteristics:
- 74% of arrestees were male (22% female, with 4% unspecified).
- 35% of arrestees were between 25-36 years of age, followed by 25% 37-48, 13% 21-24, 16% 49 and older, and 11% under 21.
- The majority of arrests (52%) were made by city/municipal police departments, with the rest split between Utah Highway Patrol (35%) and county sheriff’s offices (13%).
- Half (50%) of the arrests did not have a BAC reported (up from 32%), and 13% of arrestees refused testing. Of those tested with a BAC reported, 36% exceeded .15 (down from 42% in FY 2024 and 51% in FY 2018). 11% fell between .05-.07, the gap between the newer statutory level (.05) and the previous level (.08).
- It was the first DUI-related arrest for 77% of arrestees, with 17% having one prior arrest and another 6% having two or more prior arrests for DUI.
- The 11% of arrestees under the age of 21 is consistent with previous years, and the 1,181 total arrests in this category are still among the lowest levels in the past ten years.
- Changing the statutory BAC level to .05 led to a slight increase in DUI arrests in the first six and a half years above expected levels (average +580 in six full years, +677 in FY 2025).
- Consistent with previous years, 82% of the arrests were for per se violations where the driver had a blood/breath alcohol concentration (BAC) over the legal limit (now .05), or was impaired by alcohol, other drugs, or a combination of the two to the extent it was unsafe to operate a vehicle.
- Drug metabolite arrests, which had increased sharply from FY 2014-18, decreased further in FY 2025 to only 16 (down 96% since FY 2018).
- Arrests included 976 made during specialized DUI overtime enforcement events such as enforcement blitzes, saturation patrols, and DUI sobriety checkpoints that involved law enforcement agencies throughout the state. These overtime shifts were down in FY 2025.
DUI and Drug-Related Crashes, Injuries, and Fatalities
- The numbers of DUI/alcohol-related fatalities and injured persons increased slightly in CY 2024, while alcohol-related crashes decreased slightly.
- Fatalities were up 19% to 56 in CY 2024 (from 47 in CY 2023); crashes decreased 3% to 826 (from 847), while injuries increased 12% to 256 (from 229 in CY 2023).
- DUI/drug-related fatalities decreased for the second straight year in CY 2024 after nine consecutive years of growth; injured persons also decreased and crashes were stable.
- Drug-positive driver fatalities dropped 9% from 108 in CY 2023 to 98 in CY 2024. These fatalities are still higher than 2019 levels, but it is the first decline since 2014.
- Crashes increased slightly (4%) to 191 in CY 2024 (from 183 in 2023).
- Injuries decreased 18% in CY 2024 to 96 (from 117 in 2023).
- The most common drug types found in drug-positive driver fatalities in CY 2024 were stimulants (e.g., methamphetamine); depressants (e.g., sedatives); marijuana/THC; and, to a lesser extent, opioids (e.g., oxycodone).
- Crash fatalities in Utah overall were down slightly in 2024 (-2), and the percentage related to alcohol or drugs continued to be lower (69% in 2022 vs. 56% in 2023 and 2024).
Courts: Adjudications and Sanctions
- In FY 2025, there were 7,351 DUI-related cases disposed by Utah’s Justice Courts.
- 81% resulted in a guilty plea or verdict.
- In FY 2025, there were 4,748 DUI-related cases disposed by the state’s District Courts.
- 82% resulted in a guilty plea or verdict.
Courts: Orders for Assessment, Treatment, and Education
- Justice Court judges ordered offenders to undergo a substance use disorder screening and assessment in 4,621 cases (78% of guilty), ordered substance use disorder treatment in 3,062 cases (52%), and ordered an educational series in 2,483 cases (42%).
- District Court judges ordered offenders to undergo a substance use disorder screening and assessment in 2,317 cases (60% of guilty), ordered substance use disorder treatment in 2,636 cases (68%), and ordered an educational series in 642 cases (17%).
- Treatment orders have generally increased over the past ten years across courts.
Driver License Control
- 3,826 hearings were conducted in FY 2025 (down 1%) to determine if there was sufficient information to warrant the suspension or revocation of the individual’s driver license.
- 3,419 (89%) involved at least one of the parties calling in for the hearing.
- In 1,366 (36%) of the cases, no action could be taken against the driver due to the absence of the arresting officer at the hearing or other factors.