According to FBI statistics, the number of women arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, has increased significantly since 2003. This direct increase in the number of women being arrested for DUI has been seen even as there has been a corresponding drop in the number of males arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Make no mistake. The number of males arrested every year for DUI is still far higher than the number of female DUI arrests. However, there is no denying - and DUI lawyers can attest to this fact- that there are more women now being arrested, convicted and serving out sentences for driving under the influence of alcohol, than there used to be a few years earlier. According to Federal Bureau of Investigation statistics, between 2003 and 2012, DUI arrests involving women increased from 174,000 to 211,000. That was a significant increase of 21% across the country. However, during the same period of time, DUI arrests involving males actually dropped by 17%. In 2003, there were 780,000 males arrested for driving under influence of alcohol, and that number had increased to up to 650,000 DUI arrests in 2012.
One of the reasons why women are more likely to be arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol these days is that women are probably driving much more. Greater economic and financial independence means that more women are likely to be driving to work. They are also much more likely to be driving at night, as they put in more hours at work or work night shifts. Nighttime is when the highest number of DUI arrests take place.
Besides, it is much more socially acceptable in 2014 for young women to drink in public than it used to be. The pressures of balancing the family with work, and work-related stresses in a bad economy could also contribute to more drinking.
