Fresno ranks in top 10 of highest DUI rates in the United States, study says

FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – Impaired driving is never a good idea, but a recent study ranks Fresno among the top ten for the highest DUI rates in the country.

A study by LendingTree ranks Fresno sixth among the top 50 largest cities in the US for DUI rates between July 2023 and July 2024. In fact, eight of the top ten cities on that list are in California. Fresno averages .9 DUI’s per 1,000 drivers and the study evaluated millions of insurance quotes.

“In the past, we have seen an uptick in the number of DUI arrests in our area. We have seen an increase in the number of crashes that were due to having an impaired driver,” California Highway Patrol’s Hector Carias said.

Right next to Fresno – Clovis also sees high rates of DUIs. In 2023, there were 322 DUI arrests. So far in 2024, there have been 190 arrests.

“It’s everything from the age 21 up to thirties, forties. I mean, it’s… I haven’t really seen a specific age group. I know this is pretty across the board,” Clovis Police Traffic Supervisor Corporal Mark Bradford said.

According to the study, people ages 18-42 are more likely to get a DUI. Corporal Bradford explains why he thinks DUI rates are staying high.

“I call it the cookie jar effect. When you’re growing up as a teenager or a kid, you can snuck a cookie here and get caught. So you build confidence that you’re not going to get caught until you get caught. So I think it’s they feel comfortable,” Corporal Bradford said.

And DUIs send insurance premiums to the sky, with an average annual increase of nearly $3,400 in Fresno. However, that isn’t the only cost tied to impaired driving.

“We’re talking about court fees, you’re talking about whether your car got impounded. Right. You’re talking about your insurance rates skyrocketing. Maybe you need an attorney of some kind, Right, for legal representation. All in all, the numbers that we are we’re talking about is anywhere between $30-$40,000,” Officer Carias said.

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