Fewer drunk driving arrests reported

Drunken driving arrests in San Diego County were down by more than three-quarters over the Christmas holiday this year, as compared with the same period in 2007, the California Highway Patrol reported Friday.

From 6 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Friday, officers with the state agency arrested 17 motorists on suspicion of driving while intoxicated in the region. Last year, the CHP made 76 DUI arrests locally.

There were no traffic fatalities on San Diego-area freeways and back-country roads over the 36-hour span.

Statewide, 11 people died in auto accidents, and the Highway Patrol arrested 409 drivers on suspicion of driving while inebriated.