Utah Highway Patrol increasing DUI shifts for July holidays

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — With Independence Day and Pioneer Day celebrations taking place this month, the Utah Department of Public Safety is launching a campaign dedicated to deterring and stopping drunk drivers.

Lt. Zach Randall with Utah Highway Patrol said throughout July there will be over 280 additional DUI shifts across 37 agencies, with patrol officers looking for signs of drivers who may be under the influence.

“The end result is just to make sure that everybody stays safe on the roadways,” he said. “We want everybody to be able to celebrate their holiday safely. We want to make sure that they get to and from where they’re going without being involved in an alcohol-related crash or incident, anything like that … The bottom line is safety for everybody.”

Statistics show that if alcohol is involved in a crash, the likelihood of it being fatal or involving serious injuries “goes up tremendously,” according to Randall.

DPS reports there were 11,246 DUI arrests in Utah in 2023 — that averages to 31 arrests per day. 126 individuals lost their lives on Utah roads last year due to an impaired driver.

In 2022, there were 10,412 DUI arrests, with 962 in July alone. This was the highest percentage of any month that year, accounting for 9.2% of all arrests.

According to DPS, of the 115 road fatalities so far this year, 30 involved drugs or alcohol.

Jaison Jensen, a former DUI offender, knows just how much DUIs can impact one’s life. Referring to his past self as “old Jaison,” he said he first drove impaired when he was about 20 and when nothing “bad happened,” it spiraled into him continuing to do so on multiple occasions.

“Within a few years, I was driving drunk three or four times a week,” he said.

Jensen admitted he likely drove impaired hundreds of times. Jensen had two DUIs in 2015 and 2016 and on one occasion, wrecked his own car by crashing into a curb, leading to $6,000 to $7,000 in damages.

After trips to jail and going through treatment, Jensen is now a youth counselor for a local recovery program and six years sober. He said he’s glad no one was hurt by his decision to drive under the influence.

“It might seem like it’s not a big deal, but it is,” Jensen said. “There’s nothing wrong with drinking. There’s nothing wrong with partying or having a good time, but plan ahead … it doesn’t have to turn into something where there’s a tragedy or there’s massive consequences that affect us or affect other people.”

Randall said if you see someone you suspect may be driving impaired, to call 9-1-1.

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