DWI arrests, fatalities drop significantly amid shutdown

State reports second-lowest death rate in a decade for alcohol-related crashes

If you think a drop in the number of vehicles on the road during the coronavirus pandemic might have led to a decline in the number of DWIs, you might be onto something.

Data from state and local law enforcement agencies shows drunken-driving arrests have decreased significantly since the pandemic arrived in New Mexico. It is one silver lining in a tumultuous 2020, one likely due to the state government’s stay-at-home orders and business shutdowns throughout the year, which eased traffic on roadways.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff ’s Office reported 153 DWI arrests between March 1 and Dec. 22 — a 38 percent drop from the previous year.

New Mexico State Police Officer Dusty Francisco, a spokesman for the agency, said arrests statewide fell at an even higher rate — 41 percent — to 989 between March 1 and Dec. 22, compared to 1,680 in that period of 2019.

The Santa Fe Police Department saw 251 DWI arrests in that period of 2020. In all of 2019, it made 436 arrests. The data indicates a likely decline of about a third.

Alcohol-related fatalities in New Mexico also are down.

According to data provided by the New Mexico Department of Transportation, as of Dec. 15, 125 people in the state had died this year in alcohol-related crashes, the second lowest mark in a decade.

The highest number of deaths in that period was 175 in 2019; the lowest was 120 in 2015.

The Department of Transportation declined to attribute the drop in DWI arrests and deaths to any specific factor or

policy, such as a much lower level of DWI enforcement efforts amid the pandemic’s public health risks, including checkpoints.

In an email, the agency said “several factors” have led to the reductions.

One factor that might have contributed to the trend was the state’s closure of nonessential businesses in March, which included bars, nightclubs and other establishments serving alcohol. But law enforcement officials said it’s difficult to determine how much of an impact those shutdowns might have had.

Juan Ríos, a spokesman for the Santa Fe County Sheriff ’s Office, noted not everyone arrested on a DWI charge was drinking at a bar.

“Some people may have been at a bar, others in a party or even just drinking at home,” he said.

Lindsey Valdez, executive director of the local Mothers Against Drunk Driving chapter, agreed.

“There is still alcohol consumption at home,” Valdez said.

“We just want to make sure that the messaging has been very clear: It’s still drunk driving if you are driving to your friend’s house to drink and then drive home,” she said. “It’s extremely dangerous.”

Indeed, researchers studying alcohol trends have found that alcohol consumption has not only increased during the pandemic, but the increase has been significant.

◆ A study released in October by RAND Corp. found binge drinking increased between the spring of 2019 and the spring of 2020 — with 14 percent of men reporting an increase in the number of alcoholic drinks they consumed each month and 17 percent of women reporting they were drinking more.

◆ Blue Cross Blue Shield’s COVID-19 National Pulse Survey reported a 23 percent increase in overall alcohol consumption since the pandemic began.

◆ The research firm Nielsen reported a 54 percent increase in alcohol sales nationwide between 2019 and 2020, with a 262 percent increase in online alcohol sales.

Meanwhile, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a study indicating that while DWI-related fatalities and arrests may be down, more drivers could be driving under the influence undetected.

The federal agency’s study, released in October, examines the prevalence of alcohol and drugs in about 3,000 drivers and passengers who were seriously or fatally injured in roadway crashes in five U.S. cities. The study found a 14 increase in the detection of drugs and alcohol in crash victims after public health orders were implemented in midMarch.

The authors of the study noted, however, that without similar toxicology data from comparable populations in previous years, it’s impossible to know whether the increase was due to the pandemic-related shutdowns or seasonal fluctuations.

Dozens of law enforcement agencies across New Mexico postponed their DWI enforcement programs in the early months of the pandemic, according to the Department of Transportation, which could have had some effect on the arrest numbers.

The agency said DWI checkpoints dipped significantly, with 412 such operations in fiscal year 2019 compared to 272 in fiscal year 2020.

Ríos acknowledged checkpoints largely have been halted.

“Checkpoints are not being done at this point because of COVID,” he said. “To be able to examine, you have to be closer than 6 feet.”

But, he said, most DWI arrests made by deputies occur either from traffic stops — deputies observing a driver swerving in and out of traffic or speeding the wrong way down a highway — or following crashes in which breath tests for blood-alcohol levels indicate the driver was intoxicated.

“The reality is that deputies are on a heightened alert for people who are driving under the influence,” Ríos said.

Valdez said she worries that after stay-at-home orders are lifted and businesses that primarily serve alcohol reopen in the state, there could be a surge in alcohol-related accidents and arrests.

“When there is increased consumption of alcohol, drugs — recreational or prescribed — oftentimes there is a reflection of that in traffic,” Valdez said.

The Department of Transportation started running an animated advertisement in late November through its ENDWI campaign aimed at New Mexicans who might be struggling with isolation during the holidays and driving after consuming alcohol or drugs. The ad warns that a more serious and long-lasting period of isolation could result from an alcohol-related arrest.

Valdez said organizations concerned about drunken driving, including MADD, have been focused on how to get out a message about avoiding the practice when the pandemic ends.

“It’s critical that we keep the conversation going despite how different our world looks,” Valdez said. “Especially when we start to open up again.

“That’s the last thing that we want — anyone to be injured or killed by this preventable action.”