Connecticut State Police said they responded to more accidents this Fourth of July weekend than in years past — including three fatal crashes — but made fewer arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Between midnight on July 2 and 8 a.m. Monday, state police arrested 23 people on charges of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, down 20% from last year's arrest rates around the Fourth of July holiday.

State police arrested 29 people over the holiday weekend in 2020, and 50 people in 2019.

Police saw a spike in the number of accidents overall during the holiday weekend this year, three of which were fatal. State police responded to 313 accidents overall — compared to 217 last year and 248 in 2019.

An 18-year-old man from Storrs was killed on Interstate 95 south in East Lyme early Monday morning. A 27-year-old man from West Haven was killed on I-95 south in New Haven on Sunday. A 45-year-old woman from Stamford was killed on I-95 north in Greenwich on Saturday.

Last year, only one person died in a motor vehicle crash over the weekend, and there were no fatal crashes in 2019.

State police also issued 764 violations to drivers over this year's holiday weekend, including 370 citations for speeding — 25% more than last year but still markedly lower than before the coronavirus pandemic, when police issued nearly double the number of speeding tickets: 1,859 overall in 2019.

Local police report activity

The New London Police Department issued twice as many speeding violations during the holiday weekend this year as last year, carried out five times as many arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and saw five times as many accidents with injuries.

“I definitely think that the post-pandemic plays a part in the increase,” city public information officer Capt. Matthew Galante said. “I think the uptick in numbers can be attributed to people attending parties and gatherings with their family and friends.”

Waterford police said they received 114 calls for service over the holiday weekend this year — seven of them for vehicle accidents, including one with reported injuries. Town officers issued 39 violation citations, including 21 for speeding and four for impaired driving. Data from previous years was not available for comparison.

In East Lyme, police received 198 calls for service, including five for accidents — two of them with injuries — over the holiday weekend. Officers made 55 motor vehicle stops and charged one person with DUI.

In Ledyard, police responded to three motor vehicle accidents and charged one person with DUI.

t.hartz@theday.com