Rate of Female DUI Arrests Has Increased

DUI arrests involving women has gone up almost 30% since 2007, a trend that is not lost on female celebrities. Over the past few years, countless female celebrities have been arrested on suspicion of DUI, and if we had to guess, we would say the rate of celebrity women arrested for DUI will not be going down anytime soon.

The following is a list of some of the more recent DUI arrests involving some of Hollywood's leading ladies:

• Heather Locklear: arrested in 2007 on suspicion of DUI in Santa Barbara, California.  Locklear pled guilty to reckless driving, a lesser offense.  After paying a $700 fine she was ordered to attend a 12-hour drug education program. She was also sentenced to three years probation.
• Lindsay Lohan:  Lohan was arrested in 2007, and pled no contest to driving under the influence. She was sentenced to three years probation, 10 days of community service, 30 days in drug rehab, and an 18-month alcohol education program. Because Lohan did not complete her treatment program, a judge in Beverly Hills recently extended her probation.
• Joyce Dewitt: Dewitt was arrested in 2009 on suspicion of DUI after police could smell alcohol on her breath.  Dewitt was later released after posting $5000 bail.
• Other female celebrities that have been arrested on DUI charges in recent years include Mischa Barton, Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton, Vivica A. Fox, Alexandra Kerry (Senator John Kerry's daughter), and reality TV star Shayne Lamas.

It is unclear why the rate of DUI arrests among women has gone up.  But one thing is for certain: these female celebrities are not setting a good example for the millions of impressionable girls that look up to them.