Drunken-driving arrests spike in Pr. George’s, Alexandria, police say
St. Patrick’s Day 2012 fell on a warm, rain-free Saturday, factors that might explain an increase in drunken-driving busts in some parts of the Washington area.
Prince George’s County police reported 21 DUI/DWI arrests this year on St. Patrick’s Day, compared with eight in 2011 and nine in 2010.
Police spokesman Capt. Steve Yuen said the increase in arrests could be connected to the timing and weather.
“People may have [had] a little more time to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, especially with Sunday being another day off,” Yuen said.
In Alexandria, there were four DUI arrests this year on St. Patrick’s Day, up from none last year and one in 2010.
“It’s more than our traditional Saturday night,” Alexandria police spokesman Jody Donaldson said.
Donaldson added that police were “hypervigilant on our patrols” and keenly aware that drinking and driving would occur because the holiday was on a Saturday.
The Washington Regional Alcohol Program offers its SoberRide program, in which people 21 and over can get a free taxi ride worth up to $30, several times a year — including on St. Patrick’s Day. Its president, Kurt Erickson, said weather and timing play a role in usage.
“Our ridership almost always goes up” on Saturdays and during good weather, Erickson said. When St. Patrick’s Day falls during the week, “ridership is pretty conservative.”
SoberRide provided a record 606 free rides on the evening of March 17 and the morning of March 18, according to a news release. The previous record was 603 rides on St. Patrick’s Day 2007, when the holiday also fell on a Saturday.
Not all jurisdictions reported increases in DUI and DWI arrests. In the District, police officials reported there were three fewer DUI and DWI charges in 2012 than there were in 2011 from 5 p.m. March 17 through 6 a.m. March 18.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office reported two DUI incidents this year, but reported five arrests in 2011 and six arrests in 2010. Police in Fairfax County reported fairly stable numbers for DWI arrests. Erickson said there was a “huge amount of awareness” of police efforts to monitor drunk drivers.
“There was tremendous coverage about what law enforcement were going to be doing,” he said.
