Pandemic hangover: DUI crashes remain stubbornly high
One hangover of the pandemic has been the stubbornly high number of collisions resulting from driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It has contributed to the rising fatalities on Los Angeles roads, which last year outnumbered homicides in the city.
This recent trend broke years of steady progress in reducing DUIs. In 2019, the U.S. recorded one of its lowest counts ever for DUI-related roadway fatalities since record-keeping began.
That all ended with COVID. In Los Angeles, crashes in which a driver was cited as being under the influence spiked in 2021, and the levels have remained high ever since.
In the first eight months of 2024, 20 people died in DUI-related collisions in the city, according to LAPD Traffic Division Compstat data. That is barely changed from the 19 in the same period last year. But it is up 43% from the 14 DUI-related fatalities in the time frame in 2022.
The list of heartbreaking fatalities includes Anthony James, who retired on Aug. 30 after 43 years of working at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. The next day, he was killed as he backed out of his driveway in Hyde Park by someone who was allegedly driving under the influence.
The National Institutes of Health attributes the rise in these types of incidents to increased reliance on alcohol to deal with the stress, loss and isolation that came with the pandemic.
Falling DUI arrests
But there is a disconnect: DUI-related arrests have fallen significantly. Though it remains one of the top categories for which the Los Angeles Police Department puts people in handcuffs, the numbers are below where they were before the pandemic.
The number of DUI arrests far exceeds the number of crashes, as police often pull over drivers who appear intoxicated or nab them at planned checkpoints. Last year, there were 5,557 arrests for driving under the influence. That’s a 30.2% decrease from 2019.
One reason for the drop in arrests is the availability of ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft. That makes it easier for someone who has had too much to get home safely. But it doesn’t explain why there are more DUI-related crashes and fewer DUI arrests.
State authorities are aware of the discrepancy. Across California, the number of DUI arrests fell by half from 2010 to 2020, according to the state’s DUI Management Information System. During that same period, alcohol-related crashes fell only slightly.
Los Angeles roads have become more dangerous overall. Experts cite a variety of factors, including vehicles that are heavier and cause more damage in a collision (think all those SUVs), poor street architecture and dim lighting in certain neighborhoods. Then there are distracted drivers, people texting or fiddling with a phone while behind the wheel. That has led to a striking increase in pedestrians struck by vehicles.
How we did it: We examined seven years of traffic crash and arrest data from the Los Angeles Police Department, as well as statewide and national statistics related to driving under the influence.
Have questions about our data? Or want to ask us something? Write to us at askus@xtown.la
