Crosstown LA reported recently that data from the last year shows a sharp decline in cases of driving under the influence (DUI) over 2020 and the opening months of 2021 when compared to previous years, based on data provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and states that the closing of bars and restaurants in March of 2020 due to Covid is possibly responsible for the drop in DUI incidents.
According to data provided by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, DUIs dropped 21.5% in the year following the shutdown of bars and restaurants ordered by Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti on March 15, 2020, compared to the 12-month period from March 15, 2019-March 14, 2020. This data dovetails with data provided by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office DUI Training and Prosecution Section, which demonstrated that overall criminal cases filed by law enforcement dropped 15% in the same period.
However, officials from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office DUI Training and Prosecution Section noted that arrests for people driving under the influence of drugs has actually increased over the same period, even as alcohol-related DUI arrests have dropped.
Officials from the LASD Traffic Service Detail attributed the decline in alcohol-related DUI charges to the stay-at-home orders and reduced service levels.
