Lax on DUI?

FRESNO, Calif. — It was not a big night of partying, not a final end to hours of drinking.

Tracy DeJong, 35, was heading out the door of a Fresno restaurant after meeting friends for a quick glass of wine after work. It was early. She had housework to do and things to get ready for the next day. But when a friend asked if she'd like one in the last round of tequila shots before heading for her car, she thought little of it.

Sure, she said. One for the road.

Now, she considers the night actually ended well. She could have killed someone. She could have maimed herself or another driver. Instead, the drive that followed resulted in a car accident and her first DUI conviction — and DeJong became subject to some of the strictest DUI penalties in the country.

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Fifteen years ago, California stood where Utah does today, with a shoddy electronic record-keeping system and often no way to hold judges, prosecutors or offenders accountable for the crime that occurs when someone gets behind the wheel while intoxicated.

But things have changed in the Golden State.

"California has the most comprehensive anti-DUI laws in the nation," Mothers Against Drunk Driving announced in its most recent "Rating the States" report. "California is leading the fight against drunken driving."

A look back at California's history of aggressive prosecution, resources and legislation directed at this problem shows Utah can learn a lot from its Western neighbor. And it may be simple cases like DeJong's that explain why various statistics related to drunken driving are improving in California — and getting worse in Utah and other parts of the country.

For example:

One important measure of a state's drunken-driving problems is how many fatal crashes involve alcohol. In California, the number of people who died in traffic accidents where alcohol was involved dropped 1 percentage point in 2000, according to a report released last month by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. The year earlier, the huge state mirrored the national average, with alcohol involved in 38 percent of fatal accidents. In 2000, that percentage dropped to 37.

While Utah has the lowest rate in the country — 24 percent for alcohol-related fatalities — the same report showed that alcohol involvement in deadly car crashes is on the rise in the state. Alcohol was involved in 4 percent more fatal accidents in 2000 than in 1999 — and that growth outpaced the national increase of 1.5 percent.