Minnesota and Wisconsin try to one-up each other in many ways. These two bordering states battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe in college football, each boast over 1,000 beautiful lakes and have many redeeming qualities, but there are also distinctions that one would rather the other be known for. Having more drunk drivers is one of those distinctions.
So who takes the crown for having the drivers with the most DUIs? We take a closer look at the drunk driving scene between Minnesota and Wisconsin in today’s blog.
More DWIs – Minnesota Or Wisconsin
Minnesota has ranked better than Wisconsin in a number of recent metrics that examined drunk driving across America. In this review, we see that in a list of states with the worst drunk driving figures, Wisconsin ranked 10th and Minnesota ranked 37th, which is a good thing if you’re a Minnesotan. But to get a better understanding of which state has more people with a DUI on their record, we have to do a little Googling and a little math.
A Google search shows that Minnesota has 4.7 million licensed drivers, and roughly 14 percent of licensed drivers have a DWI on their record. That math means that roughly 660,000 Minnesotans have a DWI on their record. The total number of DWIs among these drivers is likely much higher, as that doesn’t factor in drivers with multiple DWI arrests, but essentially 1 in 7 Minnesotans has a DWI on their driving record.
Now let’s look at Wisconsin. A Google search reveals that 770,000 Wisconsinites have a DUI on their driving record. Estimates suggest that Wisconsin has about 4.3 million licensed drivers, which means that nearly 1 in 5 Wisconsinites have a DUI on their record. Not surprisingly, lawmakers in Wisconsin have recently made a push to bolster punishments for DUI offenders in hopes of preventing recidivism and making drivers think twice about getting behind the wheel after drinking alcohol.
It appears that Wisconsin takes the border battle title that nobody wants to win, as 1 in 5 people from Wisconsin have a DUI on their record, whereas “only” 1 in 7 people from Minnesota can say the same. Either way, both states would be wise to push for improvements to their current system so that these numbers can begin to trend in the right direction.
If you’re visiting the neighbor state or you live here and earned a DWI, let Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm be your resource during your time of need. For more information, or for help contesting a DWI or similar traffic charge, reach out to the team at Appelman Law Firm today at (952) 224-2277.
