DWI fatalities, arrests continue downward trend

ST. PAUL - Drunken driving arrests and fatalities are continuing a five-year downward trend, said the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Thursday.
The recently released Minnesota Impaired Driving Facts 2014 report shows impaired-related traffic fatalities dropped to 91 in 2014, down 24 percent compared to 121 in 2010 leading to the five-year downward trend.
The 2014 figures also show 25,258 motorists were arrested for DWI, compared with 26,012 in 2013. The fewer number of drivers arrested also continues a steady drop from 2006 when 42,016 drivers were arrested for DWI, a 40 percent decrease. Overall, 11.1 percent of Minnesota’s population has a DWI on record. The five counties with the highest percentages are north and west of the Twin Cities and include Mahnomen (23.1 percent); Mille Lacs (17.2 percent); Cass (16.1 percent); Clearwater (15.9 percent); and Aitkin (15.7 percent). The five counties with the lowest percentages are primarily in the southern half of Minnesota: Stevens (8 percent); Rock (8.1 percent); Carver (8.9 percent); Lincoln (9.2 percent); Washington (9.3 percent); and Olmsted (9.4 percent).