State Patrol DUI arrests take a dip over New Year's


January 6, 2012 · 7:37 AM

The Washington State Patrol said there were nearly 60 arrests for DUI in the region over the New Year’s holiday weekend, including four in the Oak Harbor area.

Statewide, 253 people suspected of being impaired by drugs or alcohol were arrested.

The number of people arrested for DUI by troopers over the holiday weekend decreased compared to the 286 people who were arrested for DUI in 2010. Officials from the State Patrol said that's because people are choosing not to drink and drive.

The New Year’s holiday weekend began at 5 p.m. Dec. 31 and ended at midnight Jan. 2. Of the 253 people arrested during the New Year's holiday stretch in 2011, 32 were involved in DUI collisions, the State Patrol reported.

Troopers from District 7 - the northern Puget Sound region that includes Island, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom and San Juan counties - arrested 59 people during the New Year's holiday.

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