Latest news, weather and high school sports for Albany and Southwest Georgia

ALBANY, GA. --
While men are more likely to be charged with driving under the influence, women are now starting to catch up with that record.

According to a AAA consumer survey, in 2010 the number of women hit with a DUI went up by 36 percent.

In the same survey, researchers found a decrease of ten percent in male DUI charges.

The rise in women driving while drunk is being linked to a greater social acceptance and more venues providing women's happy hours.

“I think it's more of an issue now where I think it's more of them driving solo by themselves. In the past the man would be the one driving and under the influence now you have women consuming alcohol by themselves,” said Dougherty County Police Captain Tom Jackson.

Captain Jackson says in recent years he's noticed more women being stopped in Dougherty County but there are still more male DUI violators.