Maricopa County DUI statistics tell a consistent story year after year: this is the
busiest county in Arizona for both alcohol-related crashes and DUI enforcement, and
Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe each contribute to that picture in different ways.
Whether you’re researching this because you’re facing a charge, supporting someone
who is, or just want to understand the risk on Valley roads, here’s what the most
recent verified data actually shows.
The County-Wide Picture
According to the Arizona Department of Transportation’s 2024 Motor Vehicle Crash
Facts report, Maricopa County recorded 88,094 total crashes in 2024, including 560
fatal crashes and 25,990 injury crashes. With roughly 60% of Arizona’s population,
Maricopa County accounts for close to half of all traffic deaths statewide — a
concentration that tracks directly with how much of the state’s driving, and
drinking-and-driving, happens here.
Statewide, alcohol-related crashes totaled 5,520 in 2024, resulting in 347 deaths —
down slightly from 358 alcohol-related deaths in 2023. Alcohol-impaired crashes made
up only about 4.6% of all crashes in Arizona, but accounted for nearly 28% of fatal
ones, which is the clearest single number in the data: impaired driving crashes are
disproportionately deadly compared to crashes overall.
DUI Arrests by City: Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe
City-level enforcement data from the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety
shows real differences across Valley police departments in 2024:
- Mesa Police Department: 2,932 DUI arrests, the highest total among Valley agencies
- Phoenix Police Department: over 2,100 DUI arrests — down significantly from
nearly 4,000 in 2020
- Scottsdale Police Department: over 1,200 DUI arrests
- Chandler Police Department: over 1,000 DUI arrests
- Tempe Police Department: 646 DUI arrests, and trending lower still — Tempe
logged 523 arrests through late December 2025, its lowest total since 2020
Population helps explain some of this — Phoenix has well over 1.6 million residents
compared to Tempe’s roughly 200,000 — but it doesn’t explain all of it. Scottsdale,
for example, reported nearly twice as many DUI arrests as Tempe despite recording
fewer alcohol-related crashes, which points to differences in nightlife density and
enforcement focus between the two cities’ downtown corridors.
Phoenix led the Valley in alcohol-related crashes specifically, with 1,351 recorded
in 2024, reflecting the sheer volume of traffic moving through the city compared to
its neighbors. For the full county and statewide breakdown, the [Arizona Department
of Transportation’s Crash Facts report](https://azdot.gov/media/documents-and-reports/crash-facts-reports)
is the primary public source these figures come from.
When and Why These Crashes Happen
The timing pattern is consistent across almost every year of data: 2,407 of the
state’s alcohol-related crashes in 2024 — about 43.6% — happened at night or on
weekends. Holiday periods (New Year’s Eve, July 4th, Thanksgiving weekend) see
consistent spikes in both crashes and enforcement activity, which is why DUI task
forces in Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe typically increase patrols around those
dates.
What These Maricopa County DUI Statistics Mean If You’re Facing a Charge
Whether your arrest happened in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, or anywhere else in the
county, the enforcement environment is serious and well-resourced — these aren’t
small numbers, and Arizona’s DUI laws are among the strictest in the country. If
you’ve been charged, completing any court-ordered or MVD-required counseling is
typically a required step regardless of which city issued the citation.
Maricopa County DUI Statistics: Getting Support
If you’re navigating a DUI charge anywhere in Maricopa County — including Phoenix,
Scottsdale, or Tempe — [Ahava Wellness Center’s DUI counseling
program](/services/dui-counseling) is built around exactly this kind of situation.
Contact us to schedule your screening and get a clear picture of what
your specific requirement looks like.