Study: Phoenix near the top in drunk driving arrests

Posted on April 21, 2020 in Drunk Driving Charges

No matter how you slice the numbers, Phoenix is a major U.S. city in every way. The Phoenix metro area ranks 10th in the nation in terms of population and by itself, Phoenix is the sixth most populous city.

It is no surprise to those who drive the Phoenix area on a regular basis to learn that we have one of the highest rates of drunk driving arrests here as well. According to a new study, Phoenix trailed only San Antonio, Texas, and Los Angeles for the most DUI arrests from 2009 to 2018.

In that decade, there were a whopping 72,013 drunk driving arrests here, trailing the Los Angeles metro area (with nearly three times as many people) by slightly more than 100 arrests over a 10-year period.

Phoenix had nearly 7,000 more DUI arrests than New York City, the nation’s largest metro area with a population of nearly 19 million. By contrast, the Phoenix metro has 4.5 million residents.

The study looked at the 30 most populated U.S. cities.

The 10 cities with the highest drunk driving arrest rates per 100,000 residents from 2009 to 2018:

1. Las Vegas: 9,824
2. Austin, Texas: 5,804
3. San Antonio, Texas: 5,181
4. Phoenix: 4,607
5. El Paso, Texas: 3,968
6. Nashville, Tennessee: 3,417
7. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: 2,741
8. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 2,622
9. Denver, Colorado: 2,616
10. Houston, Texas: 2,529

If you face drunk driving charges, talk to a lawyer experienced in DUI defense before you speak with a prosecutor. Call Rosenstein Law Group at 480-248-7666to schedule a free video or phone consultation.