MARYSVILLE, Wash. - Startling new drunk driving statistics have Washington State Patrol troopers battling a growing problem: drunk drivers on the road during daylight hours.
The State Patrol says there has been a steady increase in daytime drunk driving arrests, but there are new concerns in 2010.
Last year, WSP reported 49 daytime DUI arrests between January and April. So far in 2010, there have already been 45 - well above the average, according to Trooper Keith Leary.
"We had upwards of ten in a six-day period and that is alarming to us," said Leary. "These drivers are on the road with school buses and families taking kids to soccer practice."
State Patrol also reports a 13 percent increase in the number of alcohol-related collisions in 2010 compared to last year.
Leary says State Patrol is adding troopers to the areas that see the most DUI arrests.
There are theories to why daytime drunk driving is on the rise.
"It could be the economy," Leary says. "More people at home out of work decide to drink? We don't know."
The Washington State Liquor Control Board says there has been a 3 percent drop in liquor sales statewide compared to last year.
But managers in the popular Tailgator Bar in downtown Everett, say they notice an increase in the number of patrons that belly up to the bar during the day.
"We definitely see the difference," said manager Joe Spicer. "But we play it safe. All bartenders know the cab company phone numbers and we ask you if that's what you need."
For families of drunk-driving-related fatal crashes, there is no reversing the past.
Lisa McCoullum lost her mother Jenny McCoullum in 2003. She was driving in a residential neighborhood in Everett when a drunk 19-year-old smashed into her vehicle. McCoullum died on impact.
"You are reminded of it every day. It's horrific," said Lisa McCoullum. "It doesn't take much to make a plan. Plan ahead, give your keys to somebody else. It's not worth it."
