As we mentioned numerous times on the blog, Minnesota police were out in full force in the weeks leading up to and through the recent Labor Day weekend. Although they were on the roads for a little longer than in years past, there was still a shocking increase in the number of people who were arrested for DUI during the crackdown.
According to the recently released statistics, law enforcement officials made 1,351 DWI arrests during the crackdown, or roughly 75 people a day. Last year’s statistics only tracked the peak 4-day holiday stretch, and during that time period 462 Minnesotans were arrested for DUI. However, the fact that nearly three times as many people were arrested during this year’s extended stretch shows that drunk driving is still a problem in Minnesota.
“People can overestimate their driving skills and think they’re OK to drive after drinking,” said Donna Berger, Office of Traffic Safety director, in the department’s news release. “They’re not OK, and we need the awareness and enforcement to influence Minnesotans for the safety of all on the road.”
Extreme DUIs
As you’re probably aware, the legal driving limit in Minnesota is 0.08, but the statistics show that numerous drivers were arrested during the crackdown with blood alcohol concentrations well above the legal limit. In fact, police noted that seven drivers were picked up with a BAC over 0.30. Here’s a look at where individuals with the highest BACs were picked up:
0.38 – White Bear Lake Police Department
0.36 – Rochester Police Department
0.33 – Bloomington Police Department
0.32 – Minnesota State Patrol in Oakdale; Red Lake Tribal Police; and St. Francis Police Department
0.31 – Owatonna Police Department
Other incidents that were documented include:
- A Winona man was arrested for DUI while his drunk brother was in the passenger seat. Hours later, the brother was arrested for DUI in the same vehicle.
- A drunk driver in Hutchinson was caught after getting stuck in a roundabout.
- A Two Harbors man racked up quite the rap sheet after fleeing the police while drunk and striking a fire truck and three police squad cars during his attempted escape.
- Oakdale police led the way with 89 DUI arrests in the Twin Cities during the crackdown, followed by Golden Valley (67), Minneapolis (26) and St. Paul (15).
- In greater Minnesota, the State Patrol led the way with the most DUI arrests, followed by the Rochester Police Department.
