WA State Patrol Urging People to Report Possible Drunk Drivers

Nationwide, New Year's Eve has a higher rate of DUI arrests than any other day of the calendar year.

The same statistic also holds true for North Central Washington, and Washington State Patrol (WSP) Trooper Jeremy Weber says if you see a vehicle you believe may have an impaired driver at the wheel, to please let law enforcement know about it.

"Don't be afraid to call. If we have a trooper in the area where someone spots a possible drunk driver, we will investigate it for sure. There's nothing we as state troopers enjoy more than taking a drunk driver off the road. So if we have an extra set of eyes that are seeing things that we can't see because we're somewhere else, we will absolutely take them and follow up on any information we receive."

Weber adds that he takes the tips which are forwarded to him very personally, as well as professionally, and makes it a point to let that be known.

"If my call-in results in a DUI arrest, I'll call the person who gave us the information and thank them and say 'hey, what you did, saved a life'." So when you see something out of the ordinary and you think it may not matter, it really does matter. So please don't be afraid to get on the phone and call us if you see something that's not normal or someone that you believe may be an impaired driver. All you have to do is call 9-1-1 and they will connect you with either us (WSP) or the local sheriff's office or police department."

The WSP says they make an average of 217 DUI arrests statewide every New Year's Eve.

In 2021, there were 1,159 DUI arrests made in Chelan, Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan Counties combined.