In Wright County, impaired driving remains a very serious problem. Wright County is the 10th deadliest county in the state for impaired driving crashes. Impaired driving accounted for about 30% of fatal crashes statewide any given year, but in Wright County up to 66% of our fatal crashes have involved some type of impairment. Due to the large number of impaired driving crashes Wright County qualifies for special federal funding for the most aggressive impaired driving enforcement programs. Additional law enforcement are provided special time to only look for impaired drivers, without responding to emergency (911) calls for service and patrol in areas where impaired drivers will most likely drive. The next time you go to a bar, restaurant, sporting event or drive on any roadway in Wright County, for every eight people you see, one of them will have at least one impaired driving conviction on their record.
We know that the majority of impaired driving offenders are males with about 75% of all DUIs. About 25,000 people each year are arrested for impaired driving. About a half of those with a second violation each year will go on to offend a third time and about a half of those will violate a fourth time. And the pattern continues. The average blood alcohol content (BAC) of drivers convicted of impaired driving in Minnesota is over twice the legal limit of .08. Repeat offenders have always had a higher average BAC than first time offenders.
The number of underage drinking and driving convictions in Minnesota is frightening. Underage impaired driving is especially tragic because younger drivers are inexperienced drivers, take more risks while driving and are least likely to wear life-saving seat belts. Studies have shown that older siblings and friends are most likely sources of alcohol for underage people. Some parents feel that it’s better to supply their teens with alcohol at home parties and “supervise” them believing that they will drink regardless. The idea of teens drinking in their own home is somehow more safe to some parents who think they can control the drinking if it is done under their own roof. Minnesota law does not support parent-hosted alcohol parties and Wright County has a Social Host Ordinance where the owners of the property can be cited and fined if there are underage drinkers. In the last few years several laws have been enacted to combat underage drinking and driving. With the Social Host Ordinance, it is illegal for parents to host such parties and Minnesota law allows any person injured by an intoxicated person under age 21 the right to sue the host/supplier, giving the injured party the right of civil third-party liability action for damages, excluding homeowner’s insurance coverage. The best prevention for impaired driving is having a plan prior to the consumption of alcohol. If each and every one of us designated a sober driver before heading out for a club, friend’s house, sporting or other event, or out to dinner we could save more than 250 lives each year in Minnesota. Impaired driving is 100% preventable. That’s why Safe Communities of Wright County created our Sober Cab Program, entitle JOYRIDE. We’ve partnered with over a dozen bars in the area to provide safe rides home.
