Nearly 60 DUI arrests made in Hillsborough over Labor Day weekend as law enforcement steps up patrols
TAMPA, Fla. - As millions of Floridians hit the road Labor Day weekend, not all of them did so sober. Labor Day weekend is one of the most dangerous times to be on the road as it only takes a moment for a life to change behind the wheel.
"People need to be more responsible. I don’t know what happens on a three-day weekend, but people lose all responsibility," said Linda Unfried, who leads Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Hillsborough County.
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She checked in with law enforcement on Labor Day to see how many people had been arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence.
"From Friday morning at 7 a.m. to right now, there were 59 people arrested in Hillsborough County, and that’s all the agencies together. Fifty-nine people arrested for suspicion of DUI, and that’s an alarming rate to me," said Unfried. "I can’t believe that we’re still up that high, and it’s actually nine people higher than it was last year."
The Labor Day weekend from Friday to Monday is a dangerous time to be on the road, in general. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reported 4,016 crashes last year over the holiday. That’s over the 3,715 crashes in 2020 and 3,779 crashes in 2019.
"These statistics are people. They’re not just numbers," said Unfried.
Out of the Labor Day weekend crashes in 2021, 64 of them involved alcohol, and that hits home for Unfried.
"My sister, Josie DiStefano Palomino, was killed on Oct. 29, 1983. That was a three-day weekend. It was a holiday weekend," she said.
Unfried hopes the law enforcement patrols over the holiday saved someone’s life.
"You don’t even get over it. You really don’t. Time helps, but you don’t get over it," she said.
AAA’s Tow To-Go program ran from Friday through 6 a.m. Monday for AAA members and non-members. Drivers who had been drinking could call and have their car towed to a safe spot for free within a 10-mile radius.