Sunday may have been a bust for the Seahawks, but local police are calling it a big win on the roadways.
Police added extra officers to crack down on drunken drivers Sunday in anticipation that more people would be drinking as part of their Super Bowl celebration.
No one was killed or seriously injured Sunday by a drunken driver on state highways or freeways in Snohomish County, Washington State Patrol trooper K.C. Scott said.
The State Patrol brought in 20 additional troopers in Snohomish County to prowl for drunken drivers.
Traditionally, police have seen an increase in impaired drivers on Super Bowl Sundays, with numbers similar to New Year’s Eve.
The State Patrol arrested 23 people on suspicion of driving under the influence between noon on Sunday and 6 a.m. Monday in Snohomish County, Scott said.
There were 21 accidents during that same time period. Four of them involved drunken drivers, but none resulted in serious injures, Scott said.
Sultan added an officer but didn’t cite anyone for drunken driving, Police Chief Fred Walser said. Snohomish added an extra officer, who cited one person as well as arresting a minor in possession of alcohol, spokeswoman Linda Hardy said.
Monroe police arrested three people Sunday, according to police records. Lynnwood arrested one person following the Super Bowl, spokeswoman Shannon Sessions said.
The extra troopers clearly brought the numbers up, Scott said. Generally, Snohomish County troopers cite a total of four to five suspected drunken drivers a night, he said.
“The amount of DUIs we arrest is just a fraction of those out there,” Scott said. “We got a lot of impaired drivers off the road and no one was hurt.”
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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