Increased patrol shifts on holidays aim to deter those who would consider driving impaired as well as have more eyes on the roads to catch those that do make that decision. When asked about New Year’s Eve, Vernal Police shared that during the peak celebration times of 8pm to 1am, officers made 36 traffic stops, issued 4 citations, and made 1 DUI arrest. Uintah County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies made 17 traffic stops resulting in no DUI arrests. Another effort focused on deterring impaired drivers is Utah’s new ID law. Beginning on January 1st, the new law requires all establishments that are licensed to sell alcohol to check the ID for every customer purchasing alcohol, regardless of age appearance. Also, all businesses that sell alcohol must look for “No Alcohol Sale” language on IDs issued by the state of Utah, to confirm whether the individual is prohibited from purchasing and consuming alcohol. For more details on the new law, visit abs.utah.gov.
