Manatee sheriff targeted patrol leads to no DUI arrests

MANATEE -- A saturation patrol to catch people driving under the influence in Manatee County on St. Patrick's Day yielded no DUI arrests, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

The patrol was conducted countywide, according to a release. There were no DUI arrests, 17 speeding citations, five red-light violations, five cutting across to avoid, 11 warnings, an expired tag, two failures to wear seatbelts, one issue of careless driving and one driving with a suspended license.

Annually over 17,000 people are killed and another 305,000 people are injured as a result of impaired drivers. Studies show that the average DUI driver commits this violation 80 times per year.

National averages show that an alcohol related fatality occurs every 30 minutes. Data revealed that these incidents cost society over $54 billion annually in lost productivity, medical expenses, damages and other expenditures.

This story was originally published March 18, 2016 at 6:20 AM with the headline "Manatee sheriff targeted patrol leads to no DUI arrests ."