CHP Reporting More Arrests in Bay Area Compared to Last Fourth of July Weekend

More drunken drivers have been arrested this Independence Day weekend in the Bay Area compared to the same time last year, according to the California Highway Patrol.

From Friday evening to Saturday morning, CHP officers in the Bay Area have arrested 67 people suspected of driving under the influence, which is up from 2010's total of 57 drivers, CHP officers said.

But like last year, provisional figures show that no DUI-related fatalities have been reported in the Bay Area, officers said. CHP officers in the Santa Rosa area arrested 13 people suspected of drunken driving, which officers said is higher than a typical Friday night.

Officers from 15 law enforcement agencies in Santa Clara County arrested 17 people on suspicion of DUI from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Friday, the sheriff's office said. Twelve DUI arrests were reported during the same period last year.

DUI arrests have also increased statewide, with 442 drivers arrested on suspicion of DUI, compared to 396 arrests during the first day of the holiday weekend in 2010.

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