But Nora Stephens, a former Utah lawmaker and tireless advocate for stricter sanctions for drunken drivers, isn't surprised the chunk of repeat offenders is on the rise. "It's quite possible — we are getting better enforcement than we've ever had," she said.

The percentage of drunken drivers who re-offend in Utah is still lower than most other places. About a third of all drivers arrested for DUI or driving while intoxicated (DWI) are repeat offenders, according to data gathered from 12 states by the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration.

In all, 143,514 offenses were reported by 102,528 separate individuals in Utah.

Brown said he hopes the data will open people's eyes about the volume of those repeating the crime. "We are using a lot of resources to re-arrest and bring to trial the same people. We need to free up the system a little."

Members of the state's DUI task force requested this data, which showed that 1,400 Utah offenders had five DUI convictions or more. And that means they could be endangering others again.

"It is a risk we all face 24 hours a day," Clark said, "whether we are standing on the freeway or in our own driveways. Whether it's 1 a.m., 3 a.m., 10, 11 or 12."

Clark's teenage son and two friends were stopped at an intersection when a drunken driver blew a stop sign near the airport and slammed broadside into their car. The driver of the boys' car died instantly; Clark's son died 12 days later of massive brain stem damage.

The Utah report, based on a search of the name of the person arrested, date of birth, date of arrest, gender and date of court adjudication, will be presented to the 21-member Governor's Council on Driving Under the Influence next month.

The report showed the following detail about Utah's drunken driving population:

• 83 percent were male; 17 percent were female.

• 78 percent of offenders were younger than age 40 at the time of their first arrest. Of these, 39 percent were in their 20s. Seven percent of those arrested for the first time were older than age 50.

• 24 percent of those who got caught drinking and driving again did so within six months of the prior conviction. Three-quarters of those who are arrested — who have had a prior arrest — are re-arrested within three years; and 90 percent are arrested again within five years.

• Repeat offenders are more likely to be male and younger than one-time offenders.

• 25 percent of those arrested are responsible for 46 percent of the arrests.<