Drunken driving deaths down in 2011

There were 111 people killed in drunk driving crashes last year, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety announced.

The final drunk driving report for 2011 was released Friday and showed a 40 percent reduction in drunken driving deaths from a decade ago, according to the DPS’ Office of Traffic Safety.

Still, drunken driving crashes account for about a third of the state’s total traffic deaths, according to the OTS.

In 2011, there also were 29,257 Minnesotans arrested for DWI, the office reported. One in seven drivers has a DWI on record and 1,265 Minnesotans have 10 or more DWIs.

“Enforcement and education efforts are leading the change in behavior, but it takes everyone’s committed responsibility to stop these preventable deaths,” Jean Ryan, impaired driving coordinator at DPS, said in a statement.

Tags: crime and courts, news, minnesota