Auto accidents can happen at any time and to just about any commuter, and due to the surge in usage of apps like Uber & Lyft DUI incidents seem to be reducing. However, serious injuries and deaths are inevitable when there is an auto accident involving a person who is driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Recently ABC reported that on Sunday, April 1, 2023, in the Las Flores neighborhood of Orange County, a tragic incident occurred when a suspected DUI driver struck three pedestrians, resulting in the unfortunate death of a child and injuries to two adults, as reported by authorities. The incident unfolded around 4:15 p.m. when the driver veered onto the sidewalk, striking the victims as they were walking in the vicinity of Antonio Parkway and Oaktree Lane, located south of Mission Viejo, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Unfortunately, incidents like this are not uncommon in Southern California. In this article we’ve compiled data, information and statistics on DUIs and related car accidents in Orange County from numerous sources in order to help educate the public about when, where & how impaired driving impacts residents and drivers.
From 2017 to 2020, accidents and motor vehicle crashes involving drunk drivers in Orange County has gone down significantly.
Data provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety. You can use this tool and see specific data in counties throughout California per calendar year.
In May of 2018, Mercury News reported that major cities across California were reporting dramatic decreases in DUI arrests:
“…arrests had declined by 32 percent in San Diego, 28 percent in San Jose, 26 percent in Sacramento and 14 percent in both Los Angeles and the San Francisco-Oakland area in the two years after ride sharing began in each of the areas.”
However, a study published in February 2018 by Dr. Sara F. Jacoby for the American Journal of Epidemiology found that while there are some instances of a decrease in auto accidents when a ride sharing company entered a city, provable changes in all injury accidents:
“For example, in Portland, Uber’s resumption was associated with a 61.8% reduction (95% confidence interval: 38.7, 86.4) in the alcohol-involved crash rate (an absolute decrease of 3.1 (95% confidence interval: 1.7, 4.4) alcohol-involved crashes per week); however, there was no concomitant change in all injury crashes.”
Although adoption of the technology is still growing rapidly, and there is evidence that DUI arrests have declined due to usage, the NHTSA reports that roughly 29 people still die every day caused by drunk driving. Unfortunately, drivers in Southern California can take as many precautions as they want to ensure that they are safe drivers, but the chances of encountering a drunk driver will always be present. As a driver, it’s important to make note of essential factors to consider in the event that you are hit by a drunk driver.
DUIBlock.com keeps a rolling count of when & where DUI checkpoints in Orange County occurred. We’ve isolated and complied the data from 2022 and are the results:
City | Location | Date / Time |
Garden Grove | Undisclosed Location – City Limits – Legal Help – 800 662 8337 | 9pm To 3am – Fri Dec 30, 2022 |
Huntington Beach | Undisclosed Location – City Limits – Under Influence Of Alcohol And/or Drugs – Legal Help – 800 662 8337 | 6pm To 2am – Thu Dec 29, 2022 |
Garden Grove | S Euclid St and Stanford Ave – Area Center Park – Legal Help – 800 662 8337 | 9pm To 3am – Sat Dec 17, 2022 |
Fullerton | E Chapman Ave and N Acacia Ave – Area West Of Orange Freeway – Legal Help – 800 662 8337 | Fri Dec 16, 2022 |
Westminster | Undisclosed Location – City Limits – Legal Help – 800 662 8337 | 8pm To 3am – Fri Dec 16, 2022 |
Costa Mesa | Harbor Blvd – Legal Help – 800 662 8337 | 8pm To 2am – Fri Dec 16, 2022 |
Santa Ana | Undisclosed Location – City Limits – Legal Help – 800 662 8337 | 6pm To 1am – Thu Dec 15, 2022 |
Seal Beach | Undisclosed Location – City Limits – Legal Help – 800 662 8337 | 8pm To 3am – Sat Dec 10, 2022 |
Orange | N Tustin St and E Chestnut Ave – Area North Of E Katella Ave – Legal Help – 800 662 8337 | 8pm To 2:15am – Fri Dec 9, 2022 |
Santa Ana | Undisclosed Location – City Limits – Legal Help – 800 662 8337 | 6pm To 1am – Wed Nov 23, 2022 |
Aliso Viejo | Undisclosed Location – City Limits – Legal Help – 800 662 8337 | 9pm To 1am – Fri Nov 4, 2022 |
Anaheim | Lincoln Ave and East St – Area 76 Gas Station – Legal Help – 800 662 8337 | 6pm To 12am – Fri Nov 4, 2022 |
Santa Ana | Undisclosed Location – City Limits – Legal Help – 800 662 8337 | 7pm To 2am – Fri Oct 28, 2022 |
Orange | Chapman Ave and The City Dr S – Area West Of I-5 – Attorney Help – 800 662 8337 | 8pm To 2:15am – Fri Oct 14, 2022 |
Costa Mesa | Undisclosed Location – City Limits – Legal Help – 800 662 8337 | 8pm To 2am – Fri Sep 23, 2022 |
Fullerton | Harbor Blvd and W Orangethorpe Ave – Area North Of Ca-91/riverside Fwy – Legal Help – 800 662 8337 | Fri Sep 16, 2022 |
Irvine | Bake Pkwy and Muirlands Blvd – Area East Of I-405 – Legal Help – 800 662 8337 | 8pm To 2am – Fri Sep 16, 2022 |
Huntington Beach | Undisclosed Location – City Limits | 6pm To 2am – Fri Sep 9, 2022 |
Cypress | Valley View St and Katella Ave – Area North Of I-405 | Sat Sep 3, 2022 |
Garden Grove | Dui Checkpoint Undisclosed Location – Area Within The City – Legal Help – 800 662 8337 | 9pm To 3am – Sat Sep 3, 2022 |
Costa Mesa | Dui Checkpoint At An Undisclosed Location Within The City | 8pm To 2am – Fri Sep 2, 2022 |
Westminster | Goldenwest St and Maple St – Area North Of I-405 – Area Westminster High School | 8:30pm To 3am – Fri Aug 26, 2022 |
Brea | Undisclosed Location – City Limits | 9pm To 3am – Fri Aug 26, 2022 |
Anaheim | S Beach Blvd and W Ball Rd – Area South Of I-5 By Chevron | 6pm – Fri Aug 26, 2022 |
Buena Park | Beach Blvd and Crescent Ave | Fri Aug 19, 2022 |
Fountain Valley | Undisclosed Location – City Limits | Fri Aug 19, 2022 |
Newport Beach | Undisclosed Location – City Limits | 7pm To 2am – Thu Aug 18, 2022 |
Newport Beach | Enhanced Enforcement – Attorney Help – 800 662 8337 | Aug 17 Through Sept 3 – Labor Day, 2022 |
Tustin | Undisclosed Location | 7pm To 3am – Fri Aug 12, 2022 |
Santa Ana | Undisclosed Location – City Limits | 7pm To 2am – Fri Jul 29, 2022 |
Santa Ana | Undisclosed Location – City Limits | Fri Jul 22, 2022 |
Anaheim | Katella Ave – Area Stadium | Fri Jul 15, 2022 |
Orange | Katella Ave – Area West Of Ca-55 | 8:00 Pm And 2:15 Am – Fri Jul 15, 2022 |
Huntington Beach | Pacific Coast Highway and Huntington St – Area Pasã©a Hotel | 6pm To 2am – Fri Jul 15, 2022 |
Westminster | Goldenwest St and Main St – Area North Of I-405 – Area Westminster High School | 8pm To 9am – Sat Jul 9, 2022 |
Buena Park | Beach Blvd – Area North Of Orangethorpe Ave By B P P D | Fri Jul 8, 2022 |
Newport Beach | Saturation Patrols – Enhanced Enforcement | 4th Of July Weekend, 2022 |
Anaheim | La Palma Ave and N Red Gum St – Area West Of N Armando St | 6pm – Fri Jul 1, 2022 |
Cypress | Undisclosed Location – City Limits | 8pm To 3am – Sat Jun 25, 2022 |
Buena Park | La Palma Ave – Area Buena Park Downtown | Fri Jun 17, 2022 |
Orange | N Tustin St and E Taft Ave – Area North Of E Katella Ave | 8pm To 2:15am – Fri Jun 17, 2022 |
Huntington Beach | Beach Blvd – Area Talbert Ave | 6pm To 2am – Fri May 3, 2022 |
Santa Ana | W 1st St and N Flower St – Area West Of I-5 By Hs/sahs Tennis Courts | 7pm To 2am – Thu May 26, 2022 |
Orange | The City Drive South – Area Orange City Fire Dept. Station #6 South Of I-5 | 8pm To 2:15 – Fri May 20, 2022 |
Tustin | Red Hill Ave – Area I-5 Freeway | Fri May 13, 2022 |
Irvine | Sand Canyon Ave – Area North Of I-5 Near Trabuco Rd | 8pm To 2am – Sat Apr 23, 2022 |
Orange | W Chapman Ave and Lewis St Area West Of I-5 | Fri Apr 15, 2022 |
Orange | E Chapman Ave and S James St – Area East Of Costa Mesa Freeway | 8pm To 1:15 – Fri Apr 15, 2022 |
Santa Ana | Undisclosed Location – City Limits | 7pm To 2am – Fri Apr-1, 2022 |
Huntington Beach | Undisclosed Location – City Limits | 6pm To 2am – Sat Mar 26, 2022 |
Orange | E Katella Ave – Area West Of Costa Mesa Freeway | 8pm To 1: 15 – Fri Mar 25, 2022 |
Cypress | Undisclosed Location – City Limits | 8pm To 3am – Sat Mar 19, 2022 |
Costa Mesa | Undisclosed Location – City Limits | 8pm To 2am – Fri Mar 18, 2022 |
Irvine | Culver Dr and Barranca Pkwy – Area North Of I-405 | 8pm To 2am – Fri Mar 18, 2022 |
Anaheim | E Lincoln Ave and S Anaheim Blvd – Area East Of I-5 | 6pm – Thu Mar 17, 2022 |
Huntington Beach | Main St and Utica Ave – Area Huntington Beach High School | Fri Feb 25, 2022 |
Orange | The City Dr S and Dawn Way – Area Uci Medical Center By I-5 | Fri Feb 18, 2022 |
Santa Ana | Warner Ave – Area S Raitt St | Fri Feb 18, 2022 |
Tustin | Newport Ave – Area Between El Camino Real and Walnut Ave By I-5 | 8pm To 3am – Fri Feb 18, 2022 |
Anaheim | N Magnolia Ave and W Crescent Ave – Area South Of The I-5 | 6pm – Fri Feb 18, 2022 |
Orange | Katella Ave and N. Manzanita St – Area East Of Orange Freeway 1 Block West Of Home Depot | 9pm To 2:15am – Fri Jan 14, 2022 |
Santa Ana | W 1st St and S Center St – Area West Of I-5 | 7pm To 2am – Fri Jan 14, 2022 |
Huntington Beach | Undisclosed Location – Area In City Limits | 6pm To 3am- Wed Jan 5, 2022 |
EDITORIAL NOTE: After talking to numerous criminal defense attorneys in Orange County, Los Angeles, and the Inland Empire we can also anecdotally report on consensus that DUI caseloads have been shrinking year over year for the last 3-5 years. Some attorney attribute Uber & Lyft to this decline. However, local DUI attorneys report that they are seeing an increase in marijuana related arrests due to a general misunderstanding from the public of current laws on possession & usage in public areas, and due to a lack of consistent & reliable marijuana DUI testing methodologies.
OrangeCountyLawyers.com is a highly localized attorney directory that includes comprehensive information about lawyers that we have verified are local to Orange County based on their profile with the California Bar.