The Ingredients in Arizona’s Impaired Driving Success

While many states have seen a reduction in impaired driving arrests during the pandemic, along with a disturbing increase in alcohol and/or drug-related fatalities, Arizona’s DUI arrests have remained remarkably consistent over the past five years. The state has seen roughly 28,000 DUI arrests annually since 2017, and Arizona’s alcohol-related fatalities have steadily declined, year-to-year, over the same time. Alcohol-related fatalities in Arizona dropped from 324 in 2017, to 258 in 2019, and preliminary numbers for 2020 and 2021 suggest continued declines in both years, despite being one of the top 10 fastest growing states in the nation.

Arizona roads impaired driving

What’s Arizona’s recipe for success?  According to Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) Director Alberto Gutier, one of the foundational ingredients is “all about building partnerships.” Evidence of Arizona’s success in that undertaking were highlighted during two record-breaking events this year.  The 23rd Annual Holiday DUI Task Force Kick-Off at the State Capitol this month was the largest on record. Governor Ducey, Director Gutier, 45 police chiefs, 7 elected sheriffs, 30 assistant chiefs and commanders and hundreds of officers/deputies from over 75 agencies across Arizona assembled at the Capitol with prosecutors, first responders, safety advocates, media, and other stakeholders. The event highlighted the risks and consequences of impaired driving and the important work of 11 DUI task forces statewide. The second milestone was the annual Law Enforcement and Prosecutors Training Conference in August, in which a record 505 attendees received updated impaired driving training.

Director Gutier attributes much of Arizona’s success to heightened coordination among DUI coordinators statewide and enhanced statewide impaired driving training. As of December 1, GOHS helped facilitate impaired driving training for a record 1,872 people this year, including Drug Recognition Expert (DRE), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE), Phlebotomy, Drug Impairment Training for Educational Professionals (DITEP) and Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST). That is the largest number of trainees in a single year for the past six years, and a nearly 37 percent increase over the five-year average. GOHS also provides funding for training programs for city/county prosecutors and judicial conferences in partnership with the Arizona Supreme Court.

Like any award-winning recipe, you need a host of other vital ingredients to achieve success. Here a few that have made Arizona’s impaired driving efforts so successful:

  • Law Enforcement Phlebotomy –Arizona was the first state in the nation to implement a phlebotomy program in 1995. When the program started, Arizona had a 20 percent refusal rate. With statewide expansion of the program, the refusal rate dropped 5 percent by 2016. The program has trained more than 1,000 officers as certified phlebotomists, who have completed tens of thousands of successful blood draws. Arizona has expanded the training to four community colleges throughout the state and has assisted other states in the developing similar programs.
  • Electronic Warrants (E-Warrants) – Arizona’s program started as a pilot in Maricopa County in 2012. In 2018, Arizona’s Supreme Court Chief Justice signed an Administrative Order of the Court highlighting “the efficiency of the program,” and facilitating its statewide expansion. Nearly 8,000 officers/deputies statewide have been trained/certified. In 2020, more than 7,500 search warrants were obtained through this statewide system and according to Director Gutier, the average statewide return time is less than “10 minutes.”
  • DRE Program – While many states nationally experienced a decline in certified DREs during the pandemic, Arizona’s program has remained stable with 309 DREs in 2021 and 2020, due to their extraordinary effort to conduct five DRE schools this year. Those schools not only benefitted Arizona, but helped train/recertify DREs from Montana, Utah, New Mexico, as well as several from National Parks.

An common denominator in Arizona’s impaired driving success has been the longstanding support provided by Arizona’s Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, under the leadership of Director Alberto Gutier.  For the past 27 years, Director Gutier has served under five different governors, with an unwavering commitment to saving lives and ensuring the men and women working the road have the tools and resources necessary to do their jobs safely and efficiently. In combination with the other ingredients mentioned, that is a recipe for continued success.