Background:
The 22nd 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
- 11,440 DUI-related arrests were made in FY 2024, 194 more (+2%) than in FY 2023.
- Despite the slight increase in the past year, Utah’s DUI-related arrest rate (33.5 per 10,000 population) has declined steadily over the past 15 years (11% decrease since FY 2014, 43% since FY 2009), even as the population has greatly increased in the same time (24% increase in statewide population). The rate has stabilized in the low 30s the past 7 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 2024 displayed the following characteristics: o 72% of arrestees were male (24% female, with 4% unspecified).
- 36% of arrestees were between 25-36 years of age, followed by 25% 37-48, 14% 21-24, 15% 49 and older, and 11% under 21.
- The majority of arrests (54%) were made by city/municipal police departments, with the rest split between Utah Highway Patrol (34%) and county sheriff’s offices (12%).
- One third (32%) of the arrests did not have a BAC reported (down from 47%), and 7% of arrestees refused testing. Of those tested with a BAC reported, 42% exceeded .15 (up slightly but still down from 51% in FY 2018). 10% 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 75% of arrestees, with 17% having one prior arrest and another 8% having two or more prior arrests for DUI.
- The 11% of arrestees under the age of 21 is consistent with previous years, and the 1,211 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 three and a half years, though the estimated effect jumped significantly in FY 2023-24.
- 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. o Drug metabolite arrests, which had increased sharply from FY 2014-18, decreased further in FY 2024 to only 17 (down 50% from FY 2023 and 96% since FY 2018).
- Arrests included 1,415 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 up in FY 2024.
DUI and Drug-Related Crashes, Injuries, and Fatalities
- The numbers of DUI/alcohol-related fatalities decreased significantly in CY 2023; alcoholrelated crashes also decreased and injured persons remained stable.
- Fatalities dropped 32% to 47 in CY 2023 (from 69 in CY 2022); crashes decreased 7% to 847 (from 908), while injuries were stable at 229 (from 231 in CY 2022).
- DUI/drug-related fatalities decreased significantly in CY 2023 for the first time in 10 years; crashes and injured persons both also decreased. o Drug-positive driver fatalities dropped 29% from 151 in CY 2022 to 108 in CY 2023. These fatalities are still higher than 2019 levels, but it is the first decline since 2014.
- Crashes decreased 16% to 183 in CY 2023 (from 219 in 2022).
- Injuries decreased 34% in CY 2023 to 117 (from 176 in 2022).
- The most common drug types found in drug-positive driver fatalities in CY 2023 were depressants (e.g., sedatives); stimulants (e.g., methamphetamine); marijuana/THC; and, to a lesser extent, opioids (e.g., oxycodone).
- Crash fatalities in Utah overall were down 13% in 2023 (-40), and the percentage related to alcohol or drugs is also down (70% in 2022 to 56% in 2023).
Courts: Adjudications and Sanctions
- In FY 2024, there were 7,632 DUI-related cases disposed by Utah’s Justice Courts.
- 80% resulted in a guilty plea or verdict.
- In FY 2024, there were 4,775 DUI-related cases disposed by the state’s District Courts.
- 81% 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 4,748 cases (78% of guilty), ordered substance use disorder treatment in 3,154 cases (52%), and ordered an educational series in 2,647 cases (43%).
- District Court judges ordered offenders to undergo a substance use disorder screening and assessment in 2,235 cases (58% of guilty), ordered substance use disorder treatment in 2,522 cases (65%), and ordered an educational series in 703 cases (18%).
- Treatment orders have generally increased over the past ten years across courts.
Driver License Control
- 3,846 hearings were conducted in FY 2024 (up 1%) to determine if there was sufficient information to warrant the suspension or revocation of the individual’s driver license.
- 3,474 (90%) involved at least one of the parties calling in for the hearing.
- In 1,379 (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.