A recent study attempted quantify which states have the toughest and most lenient laws and penalties when it comes to driving under the influence. After looking at all the data, their system revealed that Minnesota has the toughest DUI laws and penalties in the United States.
For their study, the personal injury firm Siegfried and Jensen looked at a number of different factors related to DUI to develop a scoring system. Here’s a closer look at the categories and factors they assessed:
DUI Crashes & Arrests (30 points)
- Fatalities per 100k population
- Injuries per 100k population
- DUI Arrests per 100k drivers
BAC (8 points)
- BAC lower threshold
- BAC threshold for increased penalty
DUI Jail Time (10 points)
- 1st DUI Minimum Jail Time
- 2nd DUI Minimum Jail Time
- 3rd DUI Minimum Jail Time
DUI fine (10 points)
- 1st DUI Minimum Fine
- 2nd DUI Minimum Fine
- 3rd DUI Minimum Fine
License suspension (10 points)
- 1st DUI License Suspension
- 2nd DUI License Suspension
- 3rd DUI License Suspension
Further DUI Penalties (17 points)
- # of DUIs a felony
- Ignition interlocks
- License plate impoundment
- Vehicle confiscation
Supplementary DUI Laws (15 points)
- Open Container Laws
- Repeat Offender Laws
- Alcohol Exclusion Laws Limiting Treatment
Each metric was then assigned a numeric weight, with the total weight of all metrics adding up to 100.
Minnesota Tops The List
After all the states were analyzed, Minnesota topped the list as the state with the harshest DUI laws and penalties, even ahead of Utah, which recently lowered their legal driving threshold to .05, the lowest in the nation. Here’s a look at the top 10 and their score out of 100.
1. Minnesota – 76.7
2. Utah – 69.4
3. Georgia – 69.3
4. Delaware – 64.7
5. Kansas – 64.4
6. New York – 64.3
7. Florida – 63.4
8. New Jersey – 62.4
9. Washington – 62.1
10. Nebraska – 61.6
On the flip side, the three states at the bottom of the list were New Mexico (35.8), Wyoming (25.1) and South Dakota (20.1). To get a better understanding of the full list, take a look at the full rankings by clicking here.
Minnesota rose to the top having strong laws and penalties, but some factors that stood out from the rest were jail time, fines and additional penalties associated with DUI convictions. Minnesota does put their foot down hard on DUI offenders when it comes to ignition interlock devices and license plate impoundment, but it’s surprising to see that we top the list in the entire nation.
So as you can see, a DUI in Minnesota is no laughing matter, because the penalties are clearly serious in nature. If you’re facing DUI charges, you absolutely need to hire a lawyer to help assist you with the case and fight on your behalf. We specialize in getting DUI charges reduced or dropped altogether, saving you time, money and potentially your freedom. To set up a free case review with our firm, give us a call at (952) 224-2277 or click here.
