DUI arrests in Arizona have dropped more than in most states in the country. However, it likely won’t stop altogether in the near future. People still get drunk and drive.

A drunk driver killed Jan Blaser Upchurch’s husband, Sgt. John Blazer and his patrol partner 18 years ago. Upchurch says they were investigating a DUI fatality, “when another drunk driver came down the road, crossed two lanes of traffic, went up on the median and struck and killed both John and Officer Gabrieli.”

Three days after the anniversary of his death, new information has been released by the U.S. Department of Transportation showing DUI fatalities down last year in 32 states. Arizona had the third-largest decline, but Upchurch isn’t sure the numbers are that significant.

“On the one hand, I’m certainly glad to see the numbers are down,” she said. “On the other hand, I’m not sure we’ve made huge strides.”

Sheriff’s Deputy Tike Manoleas agrees. He says just the other day, he arrested a driver who was over 2.1 on the breathalyzer and he had his children with him. In another case Manoleas says, “one of the kids died. A baby in a car seat who wasn’t buckled in properly died as the result of two drunk moms who crashed into each other.”

Arizona’s drop in DUI arrests comes as our state continues to grow rapidly. Deputy Manoleas says there are several things that could be causing the drop in DUI arrests. The two most likely factors are more community education, and more enforcement. Other reasons may include less impaired drivers on the road, or fewer drunk drivers getting caught.

Almost every state in the country has experienced some decrease in DUI fatalities. About 900 people have been arrested for DUI in Pima County since January.