Idaho has found itself eleventh on a list of the worst states for drunk driving, according to data analyzed by backgroundchecks.org and released in March 2017.
The Gem State had a DUI death rate (per 100,000) of 4.16 and 5,844 DUI arrests. First on the list was Wyoming, followed by North Dakota, ranked second; South Dakota, ranked third; Montana, fourth; South Carolina, fifth; Mississippi, sixth; and New Mexico, seventh; Kentucky, eighth; Maine, ninth; Arkansas, tenth.
“To create a ranking of states, we took a combination of deaths directly attributable to DUIs, DUI arrests per 100,000 people, and drinking too much before driving, as reported by drivers themselves,” backgroundchecks.org said in its release of the data. “We then created a weighted formula.”
The original data used to create the weighted formula came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. BackgroundChecks.org focuses on public safety, online privacy, home security and open government, and it regularly gathers new data and research on issues affecting public welfare.
Take Note: If you have lost your license and need to work on driver’s license restoration, browse through the attorney directories on www.Drunkdrivingattorneys.com or www.DriversLicenseRestorers.com. Pick an attorney experienced and knowledgeable in the driver’s license appeal (restoration) process in your state. If you need to get treatment to help make a case for restoring your license, there are treatment center directories on both sites. If you need information about points on your driving record, check your state department of motor vehicles. In Idaho, go here. Helping yourself is always the first step in having your DUI attorney help you.
A factor in Idaho making the backgroundchecks.org list very well could be the state’s lack of resources to monitor and enforce driving and DUI laws. A 2016 article focused on the declining number of people in Idaho choosing a career in law enforcement.
At the time the article was written, enrollment numbers in the law enforcement program at the College of Southern Idaho were half of what they were two years prior, according to the program’s director, Don Hall. “That trend is not just happening at this school, it is happening across the state.”
What that translates to on the ground is a limited number of officers to patrol for people driving under the influence and to enforce the state’s laws. Information on Idaho’s DUI laws can be found here. And, even more information on DUI laws across the nation can be found here.
It seems Coeur d’Alene, a tourist community located in northwest Idaho and a satellite city to nearby Spokane, Washington, has the highest excessive drinking rate in the state, according to an online article in 24/7 Wall St.
At the time of the article, 18.1 percent of adults reported drinking to excess in the past month, slightly higher than the corresponding national rate of 18 percent. Between January and July 2017, Coeur d’Alene Police Department reported 234 DUI’s and 96 alcohol offenses. That’s compared to 200 DUI’s and 77 alcohol offenses over the same period in 2016.
Coeur d’Alene also was second on a list of the drunkest cities in Idaho, complied by RoadSnacks.
“The fact that over 10,000 people a year die from DUI-related accidents is a travesty,” Trent Wilson, co-author of the backgroundchecks.org research, was quoted as saying. In addition to those killed, some 200,000 sustain injuries as a direct result of someone driving under the influence, the organization notes.
“We hope this research will open some eyes and make people think twice before drinking and driving,” Wilson said.
