When Michigan’s governor first told people to “stay home and stay safe”, the DUI numbers here in Michigan (and pretty much everywhere else in the state) dropped significantly. For example, arrests in Lansing were way down. And we weren’t the only state where that happened. In Missouri, 293 people were arrested for drunk driving in March of 2019, but during the same time in 2020 the number of DUI arrests dropped to only 94. In Nebraska the cops only made 4 DUI arrests on St. Patrick’s Day, which was the lowest number that state has seen in over 15 years. And in Hawaii, police made an average of 3 drunk driving arrests per week during March, which is a major reduction on their usual numbers.
DUIs went down, but alcohol sales were up during Covid19. What’s up with that?
During the height of the Covid19 pandemic, when people had nothing else to do and nowhere to go, they sat around at home, watching TV and you guessed it… consuming a beverage or two. As a result, there were fewer people getting drunk in bars and restaurants, which meant fewer people jumping behind the wheel after too many drinks. Stats from the Michigan State Police showed that there were 67 car crash deaths in March 2019, compared to the 22 fatal car crashes that took place in March 2020. But “lockdown” didn’t last forever. When the governor lifted restrictions, opening bars and restaurants across Michigan to the public (with some restrictions, of course), DUI numbers in Michigan started climbing again.
The “new normal” doesn’t mean drunk driving isn’t serious business!
A lot has changed during Covid19. Online schooling, working from home, Zoom meetings and wearing masks to the grocery store are all part of many people’s daily reality now in ways they wouldn’t have imagined just last year. But while a lot has changed, some things are no different at all. And that includes drunk driving arrests and convictions. It’s still a very big deal to get arrested for driving while intoxicated in Ingham, Eaton, Clinton, Jackson and Livingston counties. You will still be looking at a big black mark on your criminal record (which affects job and schooling prospects for the future), and you could still end up behind bars! Other cities and counties are also very serious about OWI cases. Lansing, Charlotte, St. Johns, Howell and MSU police departments are on the lookout for drunk drivers.
Don’t let a Michigan drunk driving conviction ruin your future!
If we had our say, we’d make sure that no one ever got arrested for drunk driving, or died in a fatal drunk driving crash ever again. However, the truth is that we don’t get to make that decision on behalf of others. What we can do, though, is make sure that if you make a mistake and get busted for a DUI, you can get the best drunk driving defense available in mid- Michigan. Our skilled DUI defense attorneys have decades of experience helping people from all walks of life fight drunk driving charges, and we can help you too. Call 866 766 5245 (866 7NoJail) today to speak to a top drunk driving defense attorney. Covid19 or not, we’re here to help.
