ST PAUL, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above first aired on April 23, 2023.
The holidays are a time to celebrate, with some having a bit too much fun.
Results are in from the 2023 Holiday DWI Enforcement Campaign, and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety says we're trending the wrong way. Between Nov. 22 and New Year's Eve, state troopers, police officers and sheriff's deputies from 279 separate departments pulled over 2,432 drivers and arrested them for DWI.
That compares with 2,228 motorists cited during a similar period in 2022.
“If you’re out relaxing with friends over dinner and drinks, that’s fine, just make sure you have a sober ride home,” said Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety Director Mike Hanson. “If a person thinks they’re okay to drive after drinking, that can be a warning sign right there. Don’t risk it like we saw with too many drivers during this campaign.”
A few of the latest cases are jarring.
- A good Samaritan flagged down a Lakeville police officer who found a woman passed out behind the wheel at a busy intersection. The 51-year-old still had her foot on the brake. When the officer tried to wake her, her vehicle rolled into the squad. The driver had an initial blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.40.
- Chaska police arrested an intoxicated driver who crossed over the median and hit a vehicle head-on. Several people in the other vehicle were hurt.
- A Chisago County Sheriff’s deputy pulled over a driver who had their 2-year-old son in the vehicle. The driver had a 0.18 BAC and was arrested for second-degree DWI.
- A Minnesota State Patrol trooper responded to a vehicle that sideswiped an ambulance in north Minneapolis and kept going. The driver had a 0.16 BAC.
- Inver Grove Heights police arrested a driver shortly after noon with a 0.30 BAC. He told officers he was on his way to the store.
- The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office arrested a driver for their seventh DWI. Another driver told Olmsted County deputies she was on her way to pick up her kids. She had a 0.27 BAC.
- Spring Lake Park police arrested a driver who was going to a restaurant on Christmas to eat pizza. He had a 0.35 BAC.
DPS officials remind Minnesota motorists that alcohol isn't the only substance that can lead to a DWI. Recreational cannabis, now legal in Minnesota, can impair driving abilities with slower reaction times and impaired understanding of distance and speed. Other substances, ranging from hemp-derived THC edibles to prescription medications and sleep aids, can also affect safe driving abilities.
For more on the crackdown, including the highest BACs registered and the agencies with the most citations, check out a special database created by the Department of Public Safety.
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