One of the most recent years for drunk driving data, in the state of Minnesota, reveals some surprising facts, and today we're going to discuss this information. First and foremost, how many drunk driving arrests do you think were made in the state of Minnesota in 2012?
The answer is 22,278 such arrests. Only 260 of these arrests involved people age 18 or younger.
But what about fatal accidents involving drunk drivers? This is always a tragic and unfortunate area. In the state of Minnesota in 2012, 114 were killed as a result of an alcohol-impaired driving accident. That means that for every 100,000 people in Minnesota in 2012, there were 2.1 fatalities tied to alcohol-impaired motor vehicle accidents.
However, there is some very good news regarding the alcohol-impaired fatality rate per 100,000 people. The change in this rate from 2002 to 2012 shows a dramatic 46.3 percent decline. Hopefully we can continue this trend by having people make smarter decisions when it comes to even considering getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol.
Unfortunately, we will never be able to completely eliminate drunk driving from our state, or the country, or the world -- though it is an admirable goal. Even self-driving cars won't fix the drunk driving problem because there will always be potential emergency scenarios where someone has to take over the driving duties, and if they are alcohol-impaired, then this creates problems.
Ultimately, we need to continue making responsible decisions about how we consume alcohol, how much we consume, and how we will safely make it home, in light of the answers to the first two questions.
Source: Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, "State Facts: Minnesota," Accessed March 10, 2015
