This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah Highway Patrol reported early Sunday it had made at least 72 arrests for suspected drunken-driving offenses statewide through the New Year's holiday.
The arrests were part of stepped-up efforts by the UHP to reduce incidents of driving under the influence, which included elevated staffing on state roads during a 12-hour period starting around 9:30 p.m. Saturday evening.
Nearly 46 of the DUI arrests occurred in Salt Lake, Utah and Tooele counties.
The so-called "blitz" saw more than 50 troopers involved, according to a UHP news release.
The effort included 20 additional officers whose extra shifts were funded by a $5,000 donation from the New Auto Dealer's Association.
The DUI emphasis also had the support of the Utah chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving or MADD.
The UHP said the resulting arrests were without incident, with the exception of a 19-year-old female driver who was pulled over on suspicion of DUI after backing into the trooper's vehicle in Logan.
Damage to the patrol car was minor, but the driver, said to have a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit, was taken into custody.