Sheriff’s officials report 74 DUI arrests and 10 alcohol-related collisions in Malibu in 2011. In 2010, there were 98 DUIs and five alcohol-related collisions.
By Carly Erickson / The Malibu Times
Statistics for drunk driving arrests and collisions during 2011 in the City of Malibu are in, and the numbers show an interesting change from the year before.
While there were fewer drunk driving arrests and more alcohol-related crashes in 2011 than 2010, local authorities conducted more than double the number of DUI checkpoints last year than the year before. There were 11 checkpoints conducted in Malibu in 2011, as opposed to four in 2010.
“As far as the DUI arrests and collisions statistics, I would like to believe the additional checkpoints in 2011 acted as a deterrent to drivers to not drink and drive, thus reducing the number of arrests,” Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station Traffic Sgt. Philip Brooks said. “However, that does not relate to the increase in collisions.”
Regarding that increase, Brooks listed the sample size of statistics and human error as possible causes. He added that increased time spent by deputies on service calls could mean they have less time to catch drunk drivers.
“Most of the discrepancies can be attributed to the small sample size of the statistics,” Brooks said. “It does not allow for an accurate calculation of probabilities and standard deviations. There are also reporting issues and personnel changes that could skew the data one way or another. For example, if there is less time for deputies to patrol and look for impaired drivers due to a higher number of calls for service or other directed tasks, it can result in fewer DUI arrests.”
Brooks did credit DUI checkpoints with helping officers recognize drivers who are under the influence of substances other than alcohol, although he did not have statistics for those arrests.
“One thing I have noticed at the DUI checkpoints is the increase in the number of impaired drivers that are non-alcohol related,” Brooks said. “While I do not have a definitive number, it is evident a larger number of drivers are impaired due to marijuana usage.”
Despite fewer arrests and more crashes from 2010 to 2011, the numbers from the past two years are in the same statistical ballpark as preceding years in Malibu.
From 2005 to 2009, six to 10 alcohol-involved collisions occurred per year (with the exception of 2006, when there were 26).
According to a 2005 report by the California Office of Traffic Safety cited in a 2008 The Malibu Times article, Malibu was the second-worst city for victims killed and injured in alcohol-involved collisions out of 104 cities in its population category based on daily vehicle miles traveled.
As a comparable report has not yet been released, it is unclear whether the similar statistics from 2005 to last year would still place Malibu as high on the list of drunk driving crashes for its population category.
DUI deaths statewide increased yearly from 1998 to 2005, but have been decreasing each year since and hit a record low in 2010, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) credited an increased number of DUI checkpoints as the reason for the reduced numbers.
In 2009, the OTS allocated $11.7 million in federal funds to conduct 1,740 checkpoints. In 2010, an increased allocation of $16.8 million was used to conduct 2,553 checkpoints.