Kentucky, the birthplace of American bourbon, has found itself eighth on a list of the worst states for drunk driving, according to data analyzed by backgroundchecks.org and released in March 2017.
The Bluegrass State had a DUI death rate (per 100,000) of 4.33 and 17,825 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.
“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 Kentucky, go to www.drive.ky.gov. Helping yourself is always the first step in having your DUI attorney help you.
A factor in Kentucky making the backgroundchecks.org list very well could be the state’s lack of resources to monitor and enforce driving and DUI laws. In 2015, Kentucky State Police reported that it was about 100 troopers short of its authorized staffing level.
And again in 2016, the agency reported problems. “Manpower is a significant issue for us every year,” spokesperson Sgt. Michael Webb said in a news report. “Right now we have about 870 troopers. The thing is only about 450 of those are actual road troopers, in a uniform, in a cruiser and taking calls because we have so many other functions that require us to have sworn personnel manning them.”
Data from Kentucky State Police shows that there were 23,025 arrests for driving under the influence in 2015. More state data on DUI’s going back as far as 1995 is available online. It’s also worth noting that the deadliest drunk driving accident in United States history – a bus collision in 1988 – took place in Carrollton, Kentucky.
Information on Kentucky’s DUI laws can be found here. And, even more information on DUI laws across the nation can be found here.
Louisville, Kentucky’s largest city, is reportedly the worst location in the state for drinking-related issues, according to an online article in 24/7 Wall St. Of adults in Louisville, at the time of the report, 15.5% reported either binge or heavy drinking in the last 30 days.
The city also has a long history with alcohol, especially bourbon, and at one point in its life Main Street hosted as many as 50 active distilleries. Historic ‘Whiskey Row’ is currently being revived with numerous restaurants and bars, and urban distilleries are popping up all over the area.
“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.
