The Super Bowl is one of the most celebrated events of the year, and according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety it's also one top days for drunken driving arrests.
On Sunday, as the New England Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks in dramatic fashion, law enforcement across Minnesota arrested 65 drivers for DWI from Sunday into Monday morning. That number was a dramatic drop from the previous five years when an average of 190 drivers were stopped on the day of NFL's most-watched game. Here are the yearly numbers:
- 2014: 182
- 2013: 147
- 2012: 211
- 2011: 207
- 2010: 199
Over the three day weekend, police statewide took 365 drivers into custody for driving over the legal blood-alcohol content of .08 percent. The most arrests took place in Hennepin County with 87. The worst offender was a motorist stopped at noon Sunday in Virginia, Minn., with a .33 percent BAC.
Overall, the number of DWI arrests in Minnesota has been dropping, the Department of Public Safety said. Last year 24,159 motorists were cited for DWI, about 1,500 fewer than in 2013. Last year also marked the eight straight year that DWI arrests in Minnesota have declined.
Deaths attributed to drunken driving also fell in 2014, from 196 in 2013 to 81 last year.
