Crime & Safety
DUIs, Crash Fatalities Up in San Diego County Over 4th of July
There were more crash fatalities across the state this year than during last year's holiday weekend, according to the CHP.
Crash fatalities and DUI arrests were up over the three-day Fourth of July weekend in San Diego County and across the state, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Five people, including two in Escondido, were killed in crashes in San Diego County from Friday night to Monday evening, according to figures released Tuesday by the CHP. Last year, only one person was killed in a vehicle crash over the holiday weekend.
Across the county, 106 people were arrested on suspicion of drunken driving over the holiday weekend, up from 92 last year.
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The upward trend locally in arrests and fatalities follows that of the state, with nearly 1,600 arrested on suspicion of DUI this year, compared to just over 1,300 last year. That's a 17.5 percent increase in arrests.
Fatality data includes deaths reported within CHP's jurisdiction of highways and unincorporated roads, as well as incidents reported from local law enforcement. Fourteen of the 17 fatalities within CHPs coverage area were not wearing seat belts, according to the agency.
Find out what's happening in Encinitaswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
CHP arrest data does not include information from local law enforcement.
San Diego County * 2010 2011 DUI Arrests 92 106 Fatalities 1 5 StateDUI Arrests 1,329 1,562 Fatalities 22 34
Source: California Highway Patrol
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