Drug-Related DUI Arrests Increase in Arizona

An Arizona highway safety official says the percentage of DUI arrests related to prescription and illegal drugs is up even as overall DUI arrests go down.

The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety says the number of DUI arrests dropped by about 13 percent in 2012 from 2011.

Meanwhile, the number of DUI drug arrests increased by 12 percent, increasing those arrests’ share of overall DUI arrests to 14 percent.

The Arizona Republic reported that office Director Alberto Gutier attributes the increase in drug-related DUI arrests to the availability of prescription drugs such as painkillers.