Statistics show that San Francisco had less than 1 death per 100,000 residents attributed to drunken driving each year from 2013 to 2017.
Here’s how the counties ranked in 2017 by the number of DUI-related deaths per 100,000 residents.
1. San Francisco — 0.45 2. San Mateo County — 0.783. Marin County — 1.154. Santa Clara — 1.555. Contra Costa County — 1.926. Alameda County — 1.987. Solano County — 2.698. Napa County — 2.849. Sonoma County — 2.97Other low rates of DUI-related deaths in the 2013-2017 period occurred mostly in Marin and San Mateo counties. Marin County had 0.76 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2015 and 2016 while San Mateo County had 0.53 deaths in 2014 and 0.91 deaths in 2015. San Francisco’s rate dropped by almost half from 2016 to 2017.
“Crime rates often fluctuate and it can be difficult to determine the cause,” said San Francisco police Officer Adam Lobsinger, a department spokesman.
But he said that one possible factor might be DUI enforcement operations. The SFPD conducted approximately one such operation every month in 2017.
Lobsinger also credited safety awareness programs promoted on social media and traditional media by the state Office of Traffic Safety. Other factors could include the city’s ready availability of public transit, taxis and ride share services like Uber and Lyft.
Source: NHTSA, Fatality Analysis Reporting System; San Francisco Police Department