Arizona DUI Statistics: How Arizona Compares to Other States

Driving under the influence, or DUI, is one of the leading causes of arrest in the United States. In 2014 (the most recent year for Bureau of Justice statistics), there were 1,117,852 DUI arrests. That accounts for just under 10 percent of all arrests. In this post, we share a variety of DUI statistics as well as how Arizona compares to the rest of the country.

Where Does Our DUI Data Come From?

All of our information comes from trusted authorities, typically government agencies. These include the:

Bureau of Justice (linked above)
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

In some instances, we also collected information from relevant organizations, such as the Insurance Information Institute. (If you want a master class on using data, you can’t beat the insurance industry. They base every policy and decision on data and statistics.)

Please note that every statistic we provide is the most recent data available from that agency. Most government statistics are at least two years behind the current year.

DUI Penalties by State: How Does Arizona Compare?

Arizona has a reputation for having some of the toughest DUI laws in the country. This may be due, at least in part, to the fact that Arizona has one of the highest minimum fines in the country (second only to Alaska). In reality, though, Arizona is neither the toughest nor the most lenient.

The most common penalties for DUI are:

Fines and fees
Jail time
License suspension
Ignition interlock device (IID)

The following statistics assume a first conviction for DUI with a BAC (blood alcohol concentration) between 0.08 and 0.15, without a minor under age 15 in the vehicle.

Coming in at $1,500, Alaska has the highest fines and fees; Arizona is right behind at $1,480
The highest minimum sentence is 10 days, imposed by Georgia, Louisiana, and Oklahoma; Arizona’s minimum sentence is 24 hours
12 months is longest license revocation, with 7 state sharing that honor; Arizona comes in at 90 days, a penalty imposed by 15 other states
Including Arizona, only 21 states have an IID requirement once driving privileges have been reinstated

Please note that these are all minimum penalties. Conviction may result in harsher penalties in every state. The following table lists DUI penalties by state.

DUI Penalties by State

State	Minimum Jail	Fines & Fees	Minimum License Suspension	Ignition Interlock Device Required
Alabama	No min	600	90 Days	Yes
Alaska	Min. 72 hours	1500	90 days	Yes
Arizona	Min. 24 hours	1480	90 days	Yes
Arkansas	24 hours	150	6 months	Yes
California	No min	390	6 months	Yes
Colorado	5 days to 1 year	600	9 months	Yes
Connecticut	48 hours	500	45 days	Yes
D.C.	No min	300	6 months	No
Delaware	No min	500	12 months	No
Florida	No min	500	180 days	Yes
Georgia	10 days	300	120 days	No
Hawaii	No min	150	90 days	No
Idaho	No min	No min	90 days	Yes
Illinois	No min	No min	1 year	Yes
Indiana	No min	No min	No min	No
Iowa	48 hours	625	180 days	No
Kansas	48 hours	No min	30 days	Yes
Kentucky	48 hours	200	30 days	Yes
Louisiana	10 days	300	90 days	No
Maine	No min	500	150 days	No
Maryland	No min	No min	No min	No
Massachusetts	No min	500	1 year	No
Michigan	No min	100	90 days	No
Minnesota	No min	1000	90 days	No
Mississippi	No min	250	90 days	No
Missouri	No min	No min	0 days	No
Montana	24 hours	300	6 months	No
Nebraska	No min	400	60 days	No
Nevada	48 hours	400	90 days	No
New Hampshire	No min	500	9 months	No
New Jersey	No min	250	3 months	Yes
New Mexico	No min	No min	6 months	Yes
New York	No min	500	6 months	Yes
North Carolina	No min	No min	12 months	No
North Dakota	No min	500	91 days	No
Ohio	3 days	375	3 months	No
Oklahoma	10 days	No min	180 days	Yes
Oregon	48 hours	1000	1 year	Yes
Pennsylvania	No min	300	No	No
Rhode Island	No min	100	30 days	No
South Carolina	48 hours	400	6 months	No
South Dakota	No min	No min	30 days	No
Tennessee	48 hours	350	1 year	Yes
Texas	72 hours	No min	90 days	No
Utah	48 hours min.	$700 min.	120 days	No
Vermont	No min	910	90 days	Yes
Virginia	No min	250	1 year	Yes
Washington	24 hours	350	90 days	Yes
West Virginia	No min	100	6 months	No
Wisconsin	No min	150	6 months	No
Wyoming	No min	No min	90 days	No

https://www.dui-usa.drinkdriving.org/dui_dwi_state_laws.php

DUI penalties in all 50 states for a first conviction, BAC between 0.08 and 0.15, without a minor under age 15 in the vehicle.

DUI Fatalities

According to the NHTSA (linked above), there were over 37,000 fatalities due to traffic accidents in 2017. Of those, over one-third – 12,514 – died in accidents where one or more drivers had a BAC over 0.01. The vast majority of these drivers had a BAC over 0.08.

At 51.85 percent, Washington, DC posted the highest percentage of accident fatalities where one or more drivers had any alcohol in their system. Just over 30 percent of Arizona’s traffic fatalities involved some level of alcohol. However, when you look at the legal limit, which is a BAC of 0.08, Montana leads the union, with 44.74 percent of their traffic fatalities involving alcohol. Arizona comes in at number 44, with a little over 24 percent of traffic fatalities involving a BAC over 0.08.

The table below shows the statistics for each state.

DUI Traffic Fatalities by State

State	Total Fatalaties	No Alcohol	BAC 0.01+	BAC 0.08+	BAC 0.15+
Alabama	1038	717	321	279	177
Alaska	84	46	37	30	26
Arizona	962	659	289	232	151
Arkansas	545	394	150	117	81
California	3623	2368	1247	1059	676
Colorado	608	409	195	161	117
Connecticut	293	169	123	100	69
Delaware	119	75	43	37	31
District of Columbia	27	13	14	10	6
Florida	3174	2175	987	841	566
Georgia	1554	1117	433	368	240
Hawaii	120	80	40	34	23
Idaho	253	162	89	77	56
Illinois	1082	707	375	315	220
Indiana	821	580	241	211	138
Iowa	404	275	126	106	72
Kansas	429	318	107	94	60
Kentucky	834	618	216	175	124
Louisiana	757	488	268	225	155
Maine	161	94	67	54	38
Maryland	505	349	156	130	84
massachusetts	389	233	156	119	81
Michigan	1064	766	294	236	156
Minnesota	392	275	117	93	67
Mississippi	690	527	164	128	80
Missouri	945	624	301	244	169
Montana	190	95	95	85	68
Nebraska	218	134	82	62	41
Nevada	328	213	114	101	55
New Hampshire	136	86	49	40	28
New Jersey	601	423	177	137	87
New Mexico	402	252	148	118	85
New York	1025	697	328	283	190
North Carolina	1450	972	474	354	242
North Dakota	113	57	55	50	41
Ohio	1132	739	391	324	227
Oklahoma	683	482	200	180	114
Oregon	495	323	172	154	100
Pennsylvania	1188	815	369	327	220
Rhode Island	51	29	22	19	14
South Carolina	1015	617	396	331	240
South Dakota	116	62	54	46	29
Tennessee	1041	760	280	223	153
Texas	3776	2100	1670	1438	949
Utah	281	223	59	52	35
Vermont	62	31	31	27	18
Virginia	760	508	251	220	152
Washington	537	351	186	161	110
West Virginia	269	189	80	68	44
Wisconsin	607	365	241	193	132
Wyoming	112	77	35	32	21
US Total	37461	24851	12514	10497	7052

DUI Traffic Fatalities by State, including BAC over 0.01, BAC over 0.08, and BAC over 0.15

According to the CDC, around 1.9 percent of drivers nationwide report driving after having too much to drink. As far as self-reported numbers, Arizona drivers come in under the national average, at 1.7 percent. Unfortunately, the rate of DUI-related deaths per 100,000 population does not back up those self-reported numbers. Arizona beats the national averages in all categories.

Were You Arrested for DUI?

A DUI arrest can feel overwhelming. It’s possible to beat the charge, but the clock is ticking. Our DUI page explains your rights and what you can expect throughout the process – and how you can start protecting yourself. If you were arrested for driving under the influence, call 480.305.2121 to schedule your free consultation with Liberty Law today.