Here are some interesting highlights from the 2009 DMV Annual Report

Alcohol-involved traffic fatalities decreased by 6.8% in 2007, for the first time after eight years of a continuous rising trend.

Drug-involved fatalities declined for the second consecutive year (by 12.8% in 2007), but still reflect an increase of almost 200% in the past decade, from 253 in 1997 t749 in 2007

The number of persons injured in alcohol-involved crashes decreased slightly by 1.0% in 2007, following a slight increase of 0.9% in 2006.
DUI arrests increased by 3.4% in 2007, following an increase of 9.4% in 2006, and a decrease of 0.4% in 2005.

The DUI arrest rate rose by 1.6% in 2007, yet still represents a 7.5% reduction from the arrest rate in 1997.

15.5% of all 2006 DUI arrests were associated with a reported traffic crash, compared t15.8% in 2005. 6.3% of 2006 DUI arrests were associated with crashes involving injuries or fatalities, slightly lower than 6.6% in 2005.

Among 2007 DUI arrestees, Hispanics (45.9%) again constituted the largest racial/ethnic group, as they have each year since 1992 (with the exception of 1999). Hispanics continued tbe arrested at a rate substantially higher than their estimated percentage of California’s adult population (35.8% in 2007).

The median (midpoint) age of an arrested DUI offender in 2007 was 30 years. Less than 1% of arrested DUI offenders were juveniles (under age 18).

Among convicted DUI offenders arrested in 2006, 73.5% were first offenders and 26.5% were repeat offenders (one or more prior convictions within the previous ten years). The proportion of repeat offenders has decreased considerably since 1989, when it stood at 37%.

The median blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of a convicted DUI offender, as reported by law enforcement on Administrative Per Se (APS) forms, was 0.15% in 2006, same as last year, yet almost double the California illegal per se BAC limit of 0.08% .

9.4% of 2006 DUI arrest cases did not show any corresponding conviction on DMV records, which is a decrease from 10.3% in 2005.

Source: www.ots.ca.gov