SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — A new study finds that South Dakota has the nation’s No. 1 highest rate of drunk-driving arrests. South Dakota’s rate of DUI arrests in 2018 was 721.9 per 100,000; the national average was 330 per 100,000.
An estimated 30 people are killed in drunk-driving accidents every day in the U.S. Despite the widespread awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving, many states have rates of DUI arrests that are troubling.
US Drug Test Centers.com today released its study, Worst States for DUIs, which uses the latest data from the FBI on arrests for driving under the influence in 2018 and how those rates have changed over time.
Here are key findings in South Dakota:
- No. 1 in rate of DUI arrests with 721.9 per 100,000 in 2018.
- No. 1 for most years with DUI rate in top 10 between 2009 and 2018
- No. 10 in 10-year change between 2009 and 2018 with -14.8% decline.
Here are key national findings:
- The 10 states with the highest DUI rates are: South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, North Carolina, Mississippi, New Mexico, Maine, Washington, Alaska and Wisconsin.
- The 10 states with the lowest DUI rates are: Missouri, Arkansas, Connecticut, Alabama, Ohio, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Illinois, Delaware
- More than half of DUI arrests were in people between the ages of 21 and 39.
(US Drug Testing Centers.com contributed this report.)
