Utah DUI enforcement plan
Utah is starting to coordinate troopers on a state-wide basis to go after drunk drivers. Like many other states, Utah DUI enforcement is being taken more and more seriously.
ksl.com - First-of-its-kind DUI blitz planned for the weekend: "SALT LAKE COUNTY -- In an effort to curb drunk driving in Utah, law enforcement will be out in full force this weekend. The Utah Highway Patrol has coordinated a statewide effort with troopers from nearly every county to ensure that this holiday weekend is fatality free.
'To my knowledge and in my time with the Highway Patrol, we've never tried anything like this before. So hopefully it makes an impact,' UHP's Cameron Roden said.
Troopers say the blitz will start Friday night and last through Sunday.
Friday morning crash on I-15 near 16450 South.
UHP wants drivers to know just how serious they are about driving under the influence. They say this weekend's statewide blitz will prove that.'We're serious about getting drunk drivers off the road,' Roden said. In fact, they're 174 troopers serious.
This weekend's DUI blitz will be the biggest one in its history. But it's not just impaired drivers troopers are looking for; they will also be looking for aggressive drivers, speeders and for those not wearing their seat belts.
'These officers have been trained to spot different things, different indicators. Through somebody's driving, they may see something that catches their eye, and the driver's reaction to the way they are and just key off of that,' Roden said.
He says DUI-related crashes in Utah tend to fluctuate each year. A rollover crash on I-15 Friday morning is the perfect example of what they are trying to prevent.
A man riding in an SUV around 3:30 a.m. says he and his girlfriend were arguing, he tugged on the steering wheel and caused the woman to lose control and the vehicle to roll near 16450 South on Interstate 15.
Troopers say they suspect alcohol was involved because both people inside the SUV smelled of it, and containers of alcohol were found inside the vehicle.
Only the female driver was taken to the hospital. She is expected to be OK.
Law enforcement also believe alcohol played a factor in Thursday's crash in Hooper that sent three people to the hospital and left a family with a huge hole in the side of their house.
The driver of a blue Dodge Ram blew through a stop sign, hitting another vehicle and eventually ended up going airborne into the second-story living room.'We're trying to decrease them [DUI related crashes] regardless, and trying to get these things down. So, hopefully with a big push like this, people will see that were serious about this, and that this is a serious thing, and a serious matter, and hopefully they'll take it serious,' Roden said.
Roden says that the extra staff being used in this statewide blitz will be paid for by federal grants. While this is the first statewide blitz of its kind, it won't be the last. UHP is planning to do one of these every month from now on."
The important thing is to make sure that people are constitutionally protected as these saturation DUI enforcement programs take off across the country.
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