6 Arizona cities landed on a list of the highest fatal DUI crashes

A report released by a law firm found that six Arizona cities were among the top 75 U.S. cities when it came to the most fatal drunk-driving crashes per capita between 2018 and 2022.

The report, put out by the Philadelphia law firm van der Veen, Hartshorn, Levin and Lindheim, analyzed the top 300 U.S. cities by population and showed Tucson had the highest in Arizona at number 19 with 10.98 fatal crashes per 100,000 people with 43 of its 60 fatal crashes involving drivers with a BAC that was 0.15% or higher.

The other cities included:

• Glendale at 27th with 9.92 fatal DUI crashes per 100,000 people.
• Phoenix at 43rd with 8.45 fatal DUI crashes per 100,000 people.
• Tempe at 56th with 7.53 fatal DUI crashes per 100,000 people.
• Mesa at 66th with 7.02 fatal DUI crashes per 100,000 people.
• Scottsdale at 68th with 7.00 fatal DUI crashes per 100,000 people.

Nationally, Odessa, Texas took the number one spot with a whopping 27.46 fatal DUI collisions per 100,000 people, far exceeding San Bernardino, California which was at number two with a rate of 18.15 fatal DUI collisions per 100,000 people.

Arizona has strict DUI laws

The Grand Canyon State's DUI laws are relatively strict when it comes to the rest of the country. Jail time is mandatory and can be further lengthened depending on how high a driver's BAC is or whether it's not their first time caught driving while intoxicated.

Driving privileges can be suspended between six months to a year for first-time offenders with license revocations often being the penalty for repeat offenders according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

DUI charges can fall under the standard DUI where one's BAC is 0.08% or above and extreme DUI where the BAC is 0.15% or above. One can also face an aggravated DUI charge, which is a felony, if they're found driving drunk on a suspended or revoked license due to a previous DUI, is convicted of their third DUI within a seven-year span or is found driving drunk with a passenger under the age of 15.

Even when someone restores their driving privileges, ADOT noted drivers are often required to install an "ignition-interlock device" for a period of time before being allowed to operate their vehicle. Such devices require drivers to blow into them before allowing them to start the engine.

Fines also can be in the thousands of dollars without taking lawyer's fees into account.

The Arizona Legislature recently passed a bill making drivers of cabs or rideshare vehicles guilty of a DUI if they have a blood alcohol percentage of 0.04 or more, same as commercial vehicle drivers. It goes into effect with other legislation this year on Sept. 14.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 6 Arizona cities landed on a list of the highest fatal DUI crashes