In 2020 Santa Clarita DUI arrests decreased slightly compared to 2019, officials said.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) Newhall Area Office and the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station have released  statistics on DUI arrests made over the last three years, revealing a decrease of roughly 3.5 percent in 2020 compared to 2019, the statistics show.

In 2020 alone 955 drivers were arrested for DUI throughout the Santa Clarita Valley.

Of those arrested, 684 of those arrests were by CHP officers, said Josh Greengard, spokesperson for the CHP Newhall Area Office.

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies made 271 arrests, said Sgt. Scott Shoemaker, for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station Traffic Office.

As a result of individuals choosing to drive drunk, at least four individuals were killed, according to officials.

The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station’s Traffic Office is still waiting on two toxicology reports to determine if DUI were in connection with fatal traffic collisions, Shoemaker said.

In 2019, 990 individuals were arrested for DUI, 591 of which were made by the CHP, and 399 by Sheriff’s deputies.

A total of seven individuals were killed in 2019 as a result of drinking and driving, according to officials.

Three people were killed in the CHP’s jurisdiction and four were investigated by Sheriff’s deputies.

Two of the people killed were bicyclists, Shoemaker said.

The number of DUI arrests has been steadily decreasing since 2018, when Santa Clarita saw 1,098 individuals arrested.

Law enforcement personnel hope that the number of DUI arrests and deaths due to drunk drivers will continue to lower each year.

A way to continue the trend moving on a downward slope is for all Santa Clarita residents to make a plan before drinking.

There are multiple options for residents who have been drinking to get home safely and keeping those around you safe by either utilizing a RideShare service such as Uber or Lyft or designating someone to be the designated driver.

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