The Minnesota Department of Public Safety announced that as a result of A December-long, Toward Zero Deaths program, there were 2,577 DWI arrests and 4,586 seat belt violations.
“It’s clear from the results of this DWI campaign too many people continue to make poor decisions about drinking and driving,” says Capt. Matt Langer of the Minnesota State Patrol. “These poor decisions result in death and injury, all of which are preventable if people choose to driver sober which is why we’ll continue our efforts to deter and remove impaired drivers in 2010.”
Based on the results, the plan is to continue the program in the state’s 13 deadliest counties for impaired driving : Anoka, Dakota, Hennepin, Olmsted, Otter Tail, Ramsey, Rice, St. Louis, Scott, Sherburne, Stearns, Washington and Wright.
The Minnesota State Patrol arrested 500 motorists for DWI during the campaign. Among metro agencies, Bloomington Police reported 68 DWI arrests, followed by the police departments of St. Paul (60), Minneapolis (58), Burnsville (43), White Bear Lake (30), and Maplewood (28). In greater Minnesota, Moorhead Police reported 40 DWI arrests followed by the police departments of Duluth (38), Rochester (37), St. Cloud (31), Mankato (27), Owatonna (21) and Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office (20).
