ST. PAUL, Minn. - Kids aren't the only ones who love Halloween.
Many adults love the costumes and parties that come along with the spooky holiday, only instead of candy... alcohol is often the treat. Unfortunately, Halloween partiers regularly climb in a vehicle and drive.
On Thursday, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety released its annual list of the state's Top 25 Most Dangerous Drunk Driving Counties. The list is compiled and counties ranked based on the three most recent years of statistics that compile the number of DWI related deaths, and alcohol-related crashes that cause serious injury.
This year's list is as follows.
- Hennepin
- Anoka
- Ramsey
- Dakota
- St. Louis
- Stearns
- Wright
- Washington
- Scott
- Crow Wing
- Otter Tail
- Cass
- Olmstead
- Itasca
- Kandiyohi
- Winona
- Becker
- Sherburne
- Rice
- Beltrami
- Blue Earth
- Freeborn
- Le Sueur
- Aitkin
- Meeker
Six counties actually dropped off the most dangerous list this year. They are Benton, Mille Lacs, Clay, Morrison, Carlton, and Pine counties.
DPS compiles these numbers to secure funding for additional patrols on Halloween weekend, and the agency is warning Halloween partiers that troopers, deputies and police officers in the Top 25 Most Dangerous DWI Counties will be out in force to look for people driving impaired. Safety officials say Minnesota can expect an average of 400 DWIs, 740 crashes, five fatalities (two drunk-driving related) and 218 injuries over the Halloween period (Thursday – Sunday).
