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SALT LAKE CITY – Starting this weekend and through Halloween, law enforcement will be out in full force pulling over impaired drivers.
It’s part of the Utah Highway Patrol’s Halloween DUI enforcement, and it’s involving officers across the state.
Officials with the UHP said, on average, officers in Utah make at least 30 DUI arrests a day. On Halloween and other holidays, those numbers spike.
That’s why an additional 170 enforcement shifts are being worked by officers throughout the state until Halloween night. The beefed-up enforcement included a DUI checkpoint Friday, a concentrated DUI blitz planned for Saturday in Davis County, and another in Salt Lake County on Halloween.
Extra DUI enforcement all weekend long - includes a DUI checkpoint and 2 DUI blitzes.
— Utah Highway Patrol (@UTHighwayPatrol) October 26, 2018
Make sure your plans include a safe and sober ride home! pic.twitter.com/REqaX2KB3y
Authorities have asked drivers to plan ahead, utilize ride-sharing apps, call cabs or ask friends to drive them home. They warn: Don’t get behind the wheel if you're impaired, and remember driving under the influence doesn’t just mean alcohol.
“We are seeing more impaired drivers from illegal narcotics, illegal drugs, drugs that people think aren’t as impairing — like marijuana,” said UHP Sgt. Nick Street. “Some of the most impaired motorists I’ve seen run through field sobriety tests and their blood results came back with only marijuana as the impairing factor in their bloodstream.”
The consequences of driving under the influence do not come cheap, either. On average, people convicted of driving under the influence spend about $10,000 in the state paying for their mistake.