Eighty-eight wrong-way drivershave been arrested on suspicion of DUI so far in 2019, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
There have been 36 wrong-way collisions resulting in 16 fatalities during the same period.
This data appears despite the Arizona Department of Transportation's investing more than $3 million into a wrong-way driver detection system along a 15-mile portion of Interstate 17 and a new law allowing felony aggravated DUI charges for impaired wrong-way drivers.
“Statewide, we had 36 wrong-way collisions so far this year,” DPS spokesman Bart Graves said. “This is since Jan. 1."
Driving the wrong way on a controlled-access highway in Arizona carries a $500 fine and mandatory traffic school. If the driver is found to be impaired, they can be charged with aggravated DUI, a Class 4 felony.
Wrong-way drivers who cause fatal accidents can be charged with second-degree murder if impairment is a factor in the crash.
EDITOR'S NOTES: This story has been corrected to clarify that 88 drivers were arrested on suspicion of DUI.
