First and foremost, the best way to avoid a DUI is to not drive while intoxicated on alcohol or any other drugs. A DUI arrest can be stressful and the consequences can have a long term, negative impact on your future. Also, your license will be at risk along with your ability to use driving as a means of employment. That said, we looked at FLSMV’s 2020 traffic stats to see if there were any DUI enforcement “hotspots” in the state of Florida. Here’s what we found.
COVID-19’s Impact on DUI Enforcement
Like many other categories of traffic related offenses, DUI cases have dropped in 2020 due to COVID19. Despite considerably less traffic on the roads for a good chunk of the year, local law enforcement in many counties were still busy making DUI arrests. In 2020, there were 37310 DUIs across the state of Florida which is only a 16% drop from 2019.
DUIs By County
Neary half (18,458) of the DUI arrests in the state of Florida are made in eight counties. It’s not surprising that among them are the most populated counties in the state. However, there are a few surprises that present themselves when you look at the numbers broken down geographically.
Tampa-Area Is Florida’s DUI “Hotspot”
Hillsborough county leads the state with the most DUI arrests in 2020 with 3,196. It has also lead the state in this category going back to 2017, since we began tracking these stats. Neighboring Pinellas county comes in 2nd with 2,752. This is a clear indicator that DUI enforcement is much heavier in these two counties. Additionally, a staggering 76% of DUIs in Pinellas County are eventually found or plead guilty. This is well above the state’s 49% guilty rate for the year. These numbers make a compelling arugement to not drink and drive in case you needed another reason to call an Uber in Tampa.
Miami and Orlando Areas Are DUI “Cold Spots”
Despite having the largest population of 2.7 million people and a massive influx of tourists on the roads, Miami-Dade ranked among the lowest of the major population centers when it comes to DUI arrests in 2020. We were surprised to see only 1532 DUIs in Miami for the entire year. Similar numbers (1,446) can be seen in the Orlando-area which seems very low for the number of people in the area. What’s going on here? Are people drinking and driving less or is this a product of enforcement?
“Hot Spots” For Other Criminal Traffic Charges
While Tampa-area ranks highest for DUIs, Miami and Palm Beach are the places you’re most likely to receive any other type of criminal traffic citation. This includes driving with a suspended, expired or without a license. Other charges like fleeing, racing on the highway, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident is also in this category. Miami leads the state with 36,360 of these types of infractions but surprisingly Palm Beach comes in 2nd with 23,422. While looking deeper, we discovered that Palm Beach County wrote over 14,000 tickets in 2020 for infractions related to no, improper, expired, suspended license or tags. This is signifcantly higher than other Florida counties of similar population.
Need Assistance? Consult With One Of Our Experienced DUI Attorneys
Since 1987, The Ticket Clinic law firm has been defending DUI/Criminal and other traffic related cases in Florida. What once started as a single office has transformed into the largest DUI/traffic law in Florida, with 29 REAL locations. Our footprint is unmatched and helps us conveniently serve clients across the state in their neighborhood. Our attorneys are LOCAL. This allows us to know the people that are involved in your case and build relationships around the courthouse. We know what to say, and who to say it to. Click here to find a location near you.
