TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — When taking a look back at 2023, it looks like the roads got a little more dangerous in Tucson.
The Tucson Police Department says in 2023, there were 105 more traffic violations for driving under the influence compared to 2022.
Some people like Blayne Jewison spent New Year’s sober so he can stay safe while driving home.
“I find myself driving most of the time because I’m not the drinker for the most part in our family,” Jewison said.
Other people like Jimmy Downey considered their safety and didn’t drive at all.
“There’s maybe a lot of people around and it’s hard to see and stuff like that, so it’s not a safe environment,” Downey said.
Still, others like Sarah Kazzor, who is visiting Tucson from Europe, said she prefers to take public transportation to avoid drunk drivers.
“In Europe we mostly use public transport so usually we don’t drive, especially when it’s New Year’s Eve and we’re planning to drink,” Kazzor said.
However, even though there was an increase in people driving under the influence, TPD says in 2023, there were only about half of the drivers driving under the extreme influence of liquor compared to 2022.
“Even when we are out driving we have to be very defensive because especially in the downtown area, you got people out doing some pretty crazy things sometimes,” Jewison said.
In 2023 TPD says there was an increase of over 50 traffic violations for people having spirituous liquor in their car compared to 2022.
Overall the Tucson Police Department says traffic violations went up in 2023 compared to 2022. They say in 2023 there were over 42 thousand violations and in 2022 there were over 37 thousand.
People drinking is why some people like Downey said they’re aware of their surroundings even when walking across the street.
“Look both ways obviously. Check your rear for any suspicious activity, keep your eyes straight ahead, your head on a swivel,” he advised.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
