The holidays are usually a festive time, but they can also be a dangerous time on the roads. Poor weather or more opportunities to get behind the wheel after drinking at a holiday get-together can lead to an uptick in DWIs at the end of the year, but a recent study by Forbes found that Minnesotans don’t drink and drive nearly as frequently as other states across the US.
According to the data, Minnesota ranks 6th among all states in terms of DWI safety. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at how Minnesota stacks up to the rest of the country when it comes to drunk driving.
The States With The Most DWIs
Despite the fact that 1 in 7 Minnesotans has a DWI on their record, we fared pretty well in the recent survey. But before we dive into Minnesota’s numbers, let’s take a closer look at the worst states for drunk driving in the US.
1. Montana – Montana ranks as the worst state for drunk driving, with 8.57 drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes for every 100,000 licensed drivers, and 7.14 people killed in crashes involving a drunk driver for every 100,000 state residents. Both of these rates are the highest in the nation.
2. South Dakota – South Dakota has the highest number of DWI arrests per 100,000 licensed drivers (879.12).
3. Texas – Texas has the second worst rate for share of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes (8.30 per 100,000 licensed drivers) and percentage of traffic deaths caused by drunk drivers (42.37%). Texas also has the third-highest rate of drunk drivers under age 21 in fatal crashes (0.94 per 100,000 licensed drivers).
4. Wyoming – Wyoming comes in at fourth on the list despite ranking second in the rate of people killed in crashes involving a drunk driver (6.78 per 100,000 residents).
5. North Dakota – North Dakota has the second-highest rate of DWI arrests (832.50 per 100,000 licensed drivers) and the ninth-highest rate of drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes (6.11 per 100,000 licensed drivers).
You can get a full list of the rankings for all the states by clicking here.
Minnesota’s DWI Ranking
Because Minnesota has the sixth best DWI ranking in the Forbes study, there’s not a lot of in-depth information about our numbers. That said, 2.34 drunk drivers are involved in fatal car accidents per 100,000 licensed drivers each year, and 1.79 people are killed in car accidents involving a drunk driver per 100,000 state residents each year.
So which states rank ahead of Minnesota when it comes to drunk driving safety? The five best states in the study are:
5. New York
4. Massachusetts
3. Utah
2. Delaware
1. New Jersey
Let’s see if we can crack the top five next year, and that starts with some smart decisions to end 2023. Don’t get behind the wheel if you have been drinking, and plan ahead so that you know how you are getting home safely if you plan to go out and celebrate the New Year or have some drinks at a holiday get-together. And of course, if you or a loved one run into trouble, make sure that you pick up the phone and call the team at Appelman Law Firm at (952) 224-2277 for legal assistance. We answer our phones 24-7 so that you don’t have to spend the holidays behind bars. Give our team a call today.
