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Minnesota ranks among worst in DWIs, study shows
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Minnesota has one of the nation's worst drunken driving rates, said a government report that says 15 percent of adult drivers nationally report driving under the influence of alcohol in the previous year. Here are the states with the worst records:
1. Wisconsin, 26.4 percent
2. North Dakota, 26.4 percent
3. Minnesota, 23.5 percent
4. Nebraska, 22.9 percent
5. South Dakota, 21.6 percent
In Minnesota, the trend coincides with a record number of arrests -- 41,951 -- of impaired drivers in 2006, said the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
Who are the real leaders? Utah had the lowest rate with 9.5 percent of adult motorists reporting driving under the influence. Following closely behind were a slew of southern states that often fare poorly when it comes to government health statistics. This time, however, they're serving as models. West Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina all had drunken driving rates for the prior year of less than 11 percent.
About the study: The report relies on data obtained from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a survey based on a scientific random sample of U.S. households. The survey asked 127,283 adults in 2004, 2005 and 2006 whether they had driven under the influence in the past year.
What it means: Health experts say the state-by-state breakdowns support other surveys showing that residents in northern states are more likely to engage in heavy alcohol consumption.
Recommendations: "It means that these jurisdictions should take this data and think about how they approach public education campaigns and enforcement campaigns," said Dr. H. Westley Clark of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Land of 40,000 DWIs: Read the previous coverage about Minnesota's record DUI arrests, www.startribune.com.
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