People who watch Utah's DUI concerns say laws have been strengthened, the public is more aware and law enforcement agencies have cracked down on impaired drivers, all of which contribute to fewer drunken drivers on the roads.
"I think a bunch of factors are in play," said Sim Gill, chief prosecutor for Salt Lake City. For example, prosecutors and Salt Lake County have joined forces to bolster penalties for repeat offenders.
"We are filing a lot more felony DUI cases, and we are pushing for prison or significant jail time," he said.
Last week Walter Downing, 60, pleaded guilty to a third-degree felony DUI.
The case came in as a one-time, misdemeanor drunken driving charge, but quick work by officials revealed Downing to be a repeat DUI offender.
"There was the allegation of him having his 20th contact with police as part of a DUI arrest," Gill said. Prosecutors found this by conducting an extensive search of Downing's arrest history, which dated back to 1965.
"This came in as a misdemeanor. We caught it and filed it as a felony," Gill said. Now he'll push for jail or prison time for the man, who was arrested last September after he ran a red light on Redwood Road, failed to signal a turn and appeared drunk when an officer pulled him over. Downing had red, watery eyes, said he'd just come from a bar and had some alcohol. His blood alcohol was .11, over the state limit of .08 limit for intoxication.
"This is a serious enough matter that this needs to have the appropriate consequences for this level of behavior," Gill said.
Lt. Mike Rapich of the Utah Highway Patrol says anecdotal evidence shows aggressive DUI sting operations, combined with the work of groups like MADD and Freeway Watch are making a difference.
"There are a lot of focused cooperative campaigns right now and I think we're having a lot of success, but there is still a lot of success to be had. We still arrest a lot of drunk drivers."
Art Brown, president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, says Utah is making progress in its battle with drunken drivers.
For four years, a group of community leaders, victims and state officials has worked hard to build legislation and address DUI issues. The DUI group now operates as a subcommittee of the Utah Substance Abuse and Anti-Violence Coordinating Council of the state.
Brown and others say a fall report to legislators may be the first detailed evaluation about Utah's DUI problems.
"It has been an extremely effective group in identifying the key issues, proposing sensible solutions, and following through with implementation," Brown said. "This is a real plus for Utah."
E-MAIL: lucy@desnews.com