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Jan 2, 2009 6:01 pm US/Central
Patrol: DWI Arrests Down This New Year's
(WCCO)
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In a 24-hour period from New Year's Eve to New Year's Day, troopers with the Minnesota State Patrol arrested 28 people for driving drunk. (File)
CBS
We hear the same pitch by police every new year: If you drink and drive, they will catch you. This year, the warning might be working.
In a 24-hour period from New Year's Eve to New Year's Day, troopers with the Minnesota State Patrol arrested 28 people for driving drunk.
"Maybe people are starting to understand that they should not get behind the wheel of a car if they've had too much," said Lt. Mark Peterson with the Patrol.
He believes people have heard that message clearly, pointing to the fact arrests are down.
Success can also be found, police said, in Anoka County, which is the third-deadliest county in Minnesota when it comes to drinking and driving.
The Anoka County DWI Task Force has been pushing a visual enforcement on county roads and highways. Leaders believe people are so scared they'll get pulled over, they aren't drinking and driving as much on New Year's Eve, so the task force now works the night before.
On Dec. 30, members arrested eight drunk drivers, which is about the same as or just lower than previous years.
"An increase in our customer base? Oh, yeah, absolutely," said David Jancoski, who co-owns a company called Drink and Drive Intelligently. The company drives people home, who've had too much to drink at the bar.
Drink and Drive Intelligently gave 78 rides a year ago, and drivers gave 102 rides this New Year's Eve.
"It is a solution, I guess, but it's more just an option for those who need it," said Jancoski.
It's also a much cheaper option. A ride from Drink and Drive Intelligently costs anywhere from $30 to $50 a ride, compared to thousands of dollars that some spend fighting a DWI offense.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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