Stonington — Police here made 173 driving-under-the-influence arrests in 2017 — 13 more than they did in 2016.

Stonington police typically make more DWI arrests than other area departments combined and last year saw them make 66 more than in 2015, when they charged 113 people.

“We are maintaining our focus on doing everything we can to keep the roads as safe as possible in the Town of Stonington,” police Capt. Todd Olson said about the 2017 total. “Our officers are constantly looking to make sure people are driving safely.”

Police already have made three DWI arrests in the first three days of the year.

While DWI arrests have risen over the past three years, they are not close to the department’s record years. In 2005, police charged 227 drivers with driving under the influence.

Among the 173 people charged with driving under the influence in 2017 was an alleged three-time offender who on Halloween drove through barriers after trees and power lines came down on Al Harvey Road during a windstorm, according to police. His van went airborne and flipped on Pellegrino Road, police said.

In December, a local man was charged with drunken driving after blasting his horn in the drive-thru lane of the Mystic McDonald’s because he wanted to order food, police said. The restaurant had been closed for nearly three hours at the time.

In October, a Ledyard woman and her husband were each charged with drunken driving after an officer stopped the woman on Route 27 in Mystic for reportedly crossing the double yellow line and the man also pulled over his car.

In September, a Pawcatuck woman was charged with DWI after police said she crossed the double yellow line on Liberty Street and almost struck an oncoming cruiser.

In August, a Maryland man was charged with DWI after he crashed into a utility pole on Mechanic Street in Pawcatuck, causing multiple transformer explosions and knocking out power to the surrounding neighborhood.

In March, police charged a Ledyard woman who they said was found passed out in her car in the borough about two hours after she crashed into a car in the parking lot of the Pawcatuck Stop & Shop and then fled.

And last January, police charged an Old Mystic man who they said called them to say he was driving drunk and had crashed into a snowbank on Route 201 before driving home.

j.wojtas@theday.com