Impaired Driving Talking Points
Key Messages
1) Alcohol is a leading contributing factor in crashes on Minnesota roads.
· Nearly one out of every four deaths on Minnesota roads is drunk driving-related.
· In the last five years (2011 – 2015), there were 462 drunk driving-related traffic deaths in Minnesota, with 95 people killed in 2015 alone.
o Drunk driving-relating crashes not only take lives, they change them forever. An average of 253 life-changing injuries are caused by drunk driving-related crashes each year.
· Motorists need to plan ahead for sober rides even when traveling to friends and family’s homes for the holidays, not just when going to the bars.
o In the last five years (2011 – 2015), 48 people died in crashes during the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year holiday periods.
o Of the 48 people who died, 13 deaths were drunk driving-related.
o Christmas ranks second in the percentage of drunk driving-related fatalities (35.3 percent) during major holidays, only behind July 4 (45.5 percent).
2) A DWI is a serious crime with serious consequences.
· Each year in Minnesota, approximately 27,000 drivers (2011 – 2015) are arrested for DWI.
o 25,027 motorists were arrested for DWI in 2015, translating to nearly 69 DWI arrests per day in Minnesota.
o Drivers are heeding the warnings during the holidays as November (1,931) and December (1,876) are the months with the lowest number DWI arrests over the last five years (2011 – 2015).
· If you’re arrested, it can cost as much as $20,000 when you factor in court costs, lawyer fees and increased insurance premiums. You can also lose your license for up to a year and face possible jail time.
o Currently, more than 600,000 Minnesota residents have a DWI on record — that’s one out of every seven licensed drivers in Minnesota.
· Repeat DWI offenders, as well as first-time offenders arrested at 0.16 and above alcohol-concentration level, must use ignition interlock in order to regain legal driving privileges or face at least one year without a driver’s license. Offenders with three or more offenses are required to use interlock for three to six years, or they will never regain driving privileges.
o Interlock users will regain full driving privileges immediately after the offense, ensuring they are driving with a valid license and not a threat on the roadway.
3) Speak up and find a safe ride home for an impaired person.
· Plan for a safe ride — designate a sober driver, take a cab/public transportation or stay at the location of the party.
· Offer to be a designated driver or be available to pick up a loved one anytime, anywhere.
· Buckle up — the best defense against a drunk driver.
· Report drunk driving. Call 911 when witnessing impaired driving behavior. Be prepared to provide location, license plate number and observed dangerous behavior.
General Campaign Information
· The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety is conducting its statewide holiday DWI enforcement and education campaign over the holidays and weekends of Nov. 23 – Dec. 30.
o More than 300 law enforcement agencies across the state are participating in the enhanced enforcement.
· Friends don’t let friends drink and drive.
· Plan a sober ride if you’re planning to drink by designating a sober driver, taking a cab/public transportation or staying at the location of the party.
· When hosting a celebration or going out with friends, don’t be afraid to speak up. Find guests and friends a sober ride home or let them sleep at your house. You could be helping save lives that night.
· Seat belts are your first defense in a crash. Even though you might be doing everything right, others on the road might be making poor decisions.
· Each year, of the drinking drivers killed in alcohol-related crashes, about two in three are not belted.
Too Many Lives Tragically Affected
· There were 1,266 life-changing injuries in 2011 — 2015 that were known to be alcohol-related.
· Thirty-eight percent of those who incur a first DWI will incur a second, and 46 percent of those who incur a second DWI will incur a third.
· The cost of alcohol-related traffic crashes and injuries, and impaired-related fatalities in Minnesota, was estimated at more than $234,000,000 in 2015. Costs are calculated using estimates from the National Safety Council and are just direct costs due to medical expense, property damage and lost productivity.
Summer DWI Enforcement Highlights
· Troopers, sheriff deputies and police made 1,351 DWI arrests during the end-of-summer extra enforcement campaign
· DWI Arrests Included:
o Winona County Sheriff’s Office arrested a driver for DWI who had his intoxicated brother as a passenger. The brother was arrested for DWI less than an hour later while driving the same vehicle.
o Two Harbors Police arrested a motorist for fleeing and DWI after striking a firetruck and squad car at a crash scene. During the pursuit, the driver struck two more squad cars.
o Hutchinson Police arrested an individual who attempted to drive through a roundabout and got stuck.
· The highest B.A.C was .38.
2016 Impaired Facts Report Highlights
· The number of interlock devices installed has nearly doubled in the last three years, from 5,276 in 2013 to 9,780 in 2015.
· Since 2013, 12,074 people have graduated from the interlock program.
· Among drivers getting their first DWI in 2000, 21 percent recidivated within 48 months. For drivers with their first DWI in 2011, the 48 month recidivism rate was 16 percent.
· In 2015, drunk driving-related deaths were 23 percent of all traffic fatalities. The 5-year average is 24 percent.
· Alcohol-related injuries were 7 percent of all traffic injuries last year. The 5-year average is 8 percent.
Friends don’t let Friends Drink and Drive
· Plan for a safe ride — designate a sober driver, use a cab/public transportation or stay at the location of the celebration.
· Speak Up – Offer to be a designated driver or be available to pick up a loved one anytime, anywhere.
· Buckle up — the best defense against a drunk driver.
· Report drunk driving — call 911 when witnessing impaired driving behavior. Be prepared to provide location, license plate number and observed dangerous behavior.
Ignition Interlock Law
· Interlock devices are installed in a vehicle and require a driver to provide a breath sample in order for the vehicle to start.
· The vehicle will not start if the device detects an alcohol-concentration level of 0.02 or above after the driver blows into its tube. Interlocks require rolling re-tests after the initial test, and have features to deter others from starting the vehicle for the intended user.
· The law gives DWI offenders a chance to regain driving privileges by ensuring safe and legal driving through the use of interlocks.
· Highlights of the law include:
o All repeat DWI offenders and first time offenders with a 0.16 and above alcohol-concentration level must use ignition interlock on any vehicle they drive to regain driving privileges. If they don’t, they won’t have legal driving privileges for at least one year. Offenders with three or more DWIs in a 10-year period will be required to use an ignition interlock.
o Interlock users will regain full driving privileges immediately after the offense, ensuring they are driving with a valid license and not a threat on the roadway.
o Interlocks will be used to monitor chronic DWI offenders (three or more DWIs in 10 year period) to verify chemical use.
· Benefits to Minnesotans include:
o Safer roads and reduced costs through the use of ignition interlock on high-risk drivers.
o Creates a method for all offenders to obtain a valid driver's license, addressing the epidemic of people driving without a valid license.
o Encourages behavior modification and rehabilitation.
o Diminishes the probability and possibility of a repeat DWI.
Definitions
· Driving While Impaired (DWI) is a violation for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
· Alcohol-related: any evidence of alcohol detected in a driver, pedestrian or bicyclist.
· Impaired-related: any driver, pedestrian or bicyclist with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or above.
· Drunk-driving-related: any driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or above.
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