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DUI Convictions Down

DUI convictions in Georgia have been dropping dramatically over a five-year period, state figures show.

There may be multiple reasons to account for the decline in convictions, experts say.

But they note that this decrease in convictions has coincided with an increase in the number of people refusing to take a field sobriety test.

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State Department of Driver Services figures, presented to state lawmakers last year, show the downward trend: 44,017 DUI convictions in 2008 falling to 32,514 in 2013.

Meanwhile, the Driver Services data show that the number of people refusing the sobriety test doubled, from 5,608 in 2008 to 11,480 in 2013.

Barry Martin, state executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, told GHN on Tuesday that many people arrested for DUI are being convicted on other charges.

If a person refuses to be tested, he said, “it’s a lot harder to be convicted’’ of DUI in many jurisdictions.

– See more at: http://www.georgiahealthnews.com/2015/02/dui-convictions-down-debated/#sthash.mofgaTYn.dpuf