Each year, drunk driving causes nearly 10,000 deaths, results in more than 1 million arrests, and is responsible for more than $40 billion in economic damage.
In a report, “2016’s Strictest & Most Lenient States on DUI,” WalletHub, a personal-finance website, analyzed the enforcement rules in each of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia for 15 key items. They include fines, minimum jail sentences, and ignition-interlock-device requirements that drastically reduce repeat arrests of previously convicted drunk drivers.
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Strictest States on DUI |
Most Lenient States on DUI |
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1. |
Arizona |
42. |
Idaho |
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2. |
Georgia |
43. |
Michigan |
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3. |
Alaska |
44. |
New Jersey |
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4. |
Oklahoma |
45. |
Maryland |
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5. |
Nebraska |
46. |
Vermont |
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6. |
Kansas |
47. |
Ohio |
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7. |
Connecticut |
48. |
Pennsylvania |
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8. |
Utah |
49. |
North Dakota |
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9. |
West Virginia |
50. |
District of Columbia |
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10. |
Texas |
51. |
South Dakota |
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Key findings
- The average fine for a first DUI, $347, is higher than the Uber fare from Washington, D.C. to New York, and a person who had been drinking could go to Ontario with the second-DUI average, $757.
- Repeat offenders spend an average of nearly three weeks longer in jail than first-time offenders.
- All but seven states can automatically suspend the license of someone arrested for DUI, before any court involvement.
- 92 percent of states require offenders to equip their vehicles with Ignition Interlock devices after a DUI.
