With the Labor Day Holiday coming up…I was looking for some info on “safe driving” practices and came across this survey.
It’s a survey by Siegfried & Jensen, a personal injury law firm in Utah. According to the rating system, Minnesota has the strictest DUI laws in the country. South Dakota was identified with the most lenient laws and legislation.
Minnesota was found to have the highest percentage of repeat DUI offenders in the nation and Minnesotans who find themselves facing a second DUI charge will face some major penalties, including a maximum penalty of a year in jail and fines up to $3,000. As compared to other states in the nation, Minnesota also received the highest score when it comes to penalties for both jail time (4.9) and associated fines for a second DUI charge (2.9).
According to the rating system, the 10 U.S. with the strictest DUI laws are as follows:
State |
Score (out of a total of 100) |
Minnesota |
76.7 |
Utah |
69.4 |
Georgia |
69.3 |
Delaware |
64.7 |
Kansas |
64.4 |
New York |
64.3 |
Florida |
63.4 |
New Jersey |
62.4 |
Washington |
62.1 |
Nebraska |
61.6 |
On the other hand, South Dakota (20), Wyoming (25), New Mexico (35), North Dakota (37) and Maryland (39) were ranked as the five most lenient states.
The cost of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol can vary greatly depending on where you are in the U.S., new research from Siegfried & Jensen reveals. By analyzing each state’s statistics on impaired driving fatalities as well as impaired driving injuries and comparing that info to their individual laws and penalties, the study ranked each state on a scale of 1 to 100 to show which have the most severe DUI consequences.
Please drive safely and be patient on the roadways this Labor Day Weekend!