Believe it or not, drunk driving has only been prosecuted in Minnesota for 105 years. The Minnesota legislature first made it illegal to “drive while in an intoxicated manner” in 1911, but the law has certainly evolved from there. Today, we take a closer look at how DUI laws have been adopted and tweaked in Minnesota over the years.
A History of Minnesota DUI Laws
Here’s a look at how DUI laws have been shaped in Minnesota over the years:
- The definition of under the influence is set at 0.15 Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) in 1917.
- Minnesota first institutes civil sanctions for DWI – in the form of the Implied Consent Law – in 1961.
- Minnesota becomes the first state to attach administrative license sanctions at a “per se” level of .10 BAC in 1971.
- The state began impounding license plates of drunk drivers in 1988.
- Refusing to comply with a BAC test becomes a criminal offense just a year later in 1989.
- The state adds the Child Endangerment enhancement and the “Not a Drop” law in 1993.
- An elevated BAC of greater than 0.20 is added as an aggravating DUI factor in 1997.
- Felony level penalties for DUI were added to law in 2001.
- Per se level for license sanctions dropped to 0.08 in 2004.
- Ignition Interlocks were added as potential penalties for some DUI offenders in 2010.
- The alcohol concentration for an aggravated DUI is lowered from .20 to .16 for first time offenders in 2015.
Interestingly, while the legal driving limit is .08, records indicate that the average person arrested for drunk driving has a BAC of .15. For drivers in fatal crashes, that BAC jumps to an average of .19.
We are continuing to crack down on drunk drivers, and while the numbers appear to be on the decline, there’s still plenty of work to be done. 25,258 motorists were arrested for drunk driving in Minnesota last year, and more than 600,000 Minnesotans have at least one DWI on their record, meaning 1 in 7 Minnesotans has a drunk driving offense on their record. That’s simply too high.
