Fewer people are driving under the influence, according to the Rapid City Police Department

The Rapid City Police Department saw 200 fewer DUIs in 2019 than in 2018 and they expect to see even fewer when 2020 is in the books.

Brendyn Medina, Rapid City Community Relations Specialist, said:

“I ran some numbers for year to date between 2020 and 2019, were actually probably at a 23% decrease in the number of DUI’s from last year. People are staying home, people are limiting travel, people may be choosing to consume alcohol at their house instead of out at the bar mitigating the need for having to drive home impaired.”

Last year at this time, the police department saw 670 total DUI’s and in 2020 only 517.

The police have no specific data on why there is a decrease, but they think COVID-19 plays a role.

Police also say using rideshares and designated drivers are more common, a trend police hope continues during the holidays

Medina also mentioned:

“We know that alcohol consumption kind of goes hand and hand with some people on the holidays,” says Medina. “We just want people to know that even though we’re seeing this decrease, it’s not because we’re not out there looking for the signs of impairment, we still are. We’re making sure to keep an eye out for those signs of impaired driving and just encourage people to make responsible decisions.”