DUI Statistics for Tampa, Hillsborough County and Florida
Various local, state and national organizations gather information on DUI statistics. Visit the links below for more information about DUI statistics in Tampa, Hillsborough County, or throughout the State of Florida.
Tampa DUI Statistics
Crime Statistics from the Police Department for the City of Tampa
Hillsborough County DUI Statistics
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Hillsborough County Chapter Information
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office - DUI Statistics
Florida DUI Statistics in 2011
Statistics released from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) show that 55,722 citations for DUI were issued in Florida. Out of those 55,722 citations, only 33,625 DUI convictions were reported.
So approximately 60% of individuals cited for DUI in Florida were ultimately convicted. The other citations may have been resolved without a DUI conviction under the following circumtances:
- the charges were dropped by the prosecutor;
- the charges were dismissed by the court;
- the individual plead to a lesser charge such as "reckless driving"; or
- the charges are still pending resolution.
Who issued these DUI citations? A breakdown of the agencies that issued the citations show that 23,649 were issued by various police departments throughout Florida, 21,868 were issued by various Sheriffs' departments in Florida, and 9,328 were issue by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Which county had the highest number of DUI citations issued in the State of Florida? That distinction goes to Hillsborough County with 3,256 citations. Another county in the Tampa Bay area came in fourth place - Pinellas County (St. Petersburg / Clearwater) had 1,824 citations issued.
2010 Florida DUI Statistics
In 2010, 58,174 DUI citations were issued. Of those, 30,933 resulted in an adjudication of guilt for DUI or reduced or changed charge such as reckless driving. 1,105 of these cases involve the case being resolved with adjudication withheld by the judge which would not involve a plea to DUI because in a DUI case the judge is not allowed to withhold adjudication. The prosecutor entered a "nol pross" which dropped the charges in 5,809 cases. At the time the statistics were reported, 18,749 of these cases were still pending resolution.
Read more about DUI statisitics in Florida for 2010
A breakdown of DUI convictions in the larged counties in Florida include:
- Hillsborough County (Tampa) - 3,256
- Miami-Dade - (Miami) - 2,274
- Duval County - (Jacksonvile) - 2,222
- Pinellas County (St Petersburg / Clearwater) - 1,824
- Palm Beach County (West Palm Beach) - 1,561
- Orange County (Orlando) - 1,383
- Brevard County (Melbourne) - 1,072
- Broward County (Fort Lauderdale) - 985
Florida DUI Statistics in 2009
DUI Citations DUI Convictions
2006 63,591
2007 64,410
2008 64,654 38,664
2009 63,019 36,872
Florida DUI Statistics in 2008
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles issued preliminary data regarding statistics in 2008 showing that the number of DUI fatalities was down in 2008. In fact, only 2,986 deaths occurred in 2008 which is the lowest number of fatalities in eight years even though the State’s population grew more than 18% over the same time period.
The Florida Highway Patrol Activity report also shows that in 2008, the Florida Highway Patrol did the following:
- made 10,732 arrests for Driving Under the Influence (DUI);
- made 8,320 arrests for felony offenses;
- issued 406,482 citations for speeding;
- investigated 230,515 crashes; and
- recovered 942 stolen vehicles.
Last year the Florida DHSMV reported a summary of the total DUI violations and convictions, which included the following findings regarding changes from 2006 to 2007:
- Violations for DUI in the state rose from 63,591 in 2006 to 64,410 in 2007, an increase of 1.29%;
- The number of pending DUI dispositions fell from 21,217 in 2006 to 20,919 in 2007, a decrease of
1.40%; - DUI convictions in the state rose from 34,638 in 2006 to 35,372 in 2007, an increase of 2.12%.
Preliminary stats: 2,986 deaths on Florida roads in ‘08 – reported by Bay News 9, Monday, January 26, 2009.
Statistics from Previous Years from Florida DHSMV
National DUI Statistics
An estimated 11,773 people died in drunk driving crashes involving a driver with an illegal blood or breath alcohol concentration of .08 or greater in 2008. Those 11,773 deaths constitute 31.6 percent of the 37,261 total traffic fatalities in 2008. (NHTSA DUI Statistics 2009).
Beware of statistics on "alcohol related" fatal accidents - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the U.S. defines a fatal crash as alcohol-related if either a driver or a non-motorist had a measurable or estimated BAC of 0.01 g/dl or above. That standard is entirely too low. Florida law presumes NO impairment if the BAC is .05 or lower. Additionally, most people would assume the alcohol was consumed by the driver and intoxication contributed to the accident. But under this standard, even if a passenger in the backseat had a .01 BAC it is "alcohol-related." Even more troubling, if a sober driver hits a pedestrian with a BAC of .01 NHTSA would report it as an alcohol-related fatal crash.
2007 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - Traffic Safety Annual Assessment
2006 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - Traffic Safety Annual Assessment.
2008 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health - showing statistics about Underage Alcohol Use from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ("SAMHSA").
Last Updated: Janurary 23, 2013