Sixth is where Mississippi finds itself on a list of the worst states for drunk driving, according to data analyzed by backgroundchecks.org and released in March 2017.
The southern state, which has among its anchors the mighty Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, had a DUI death rate (per 100,000) of 5.86 and 6,889 DUI arrests. Top on the list was Wyoming, followed by North Dakota, ranked second; South Dakota, ranked third; and Montana, ranked fourth; and South Carolina, ranked fifth.
“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 Mississippi, go to http://www.dor.ms.gov/TagsTitles/Pages/default.aspx. Helping yourself is always the first step in having your DUI attorney help you.
A factor in The Magnolia State 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 in the Miami Herald points to just this situation.
Mississippi constantly tweaks its laws to get more drunk drivers off the road, but the state is spending less money on DUI training for law enforcement officers and enforcement, the article said. Statistics show that DUI arrests are down statewide, which DUI experts say historically leads to an increase in fatalities. The state saw 6,150 DUI arrests in 2015 and 68 alcohol-related fatalities.
The number of troopers working state highways in the six South Mississippi counties has dropped almost 39 percent, to 19 troopers, since 2012, the Miami Herald article went on to say. Statewide, the decrease is 19.4 percent.
The state also has extremely lenient open container laws. According to www.opencontainerlaws.com, Mississippi allows open containers in vehicles, and even lets motorists drink and drive as long as they stay under the legal blood alcohol limit – .08 percent.
Information on Mississippi’s current DUI laws can be found here, and even more information on DUI laws across the nation can be found here.
Reportedly, the locations in Mississippi with the worst problems include Harrison and DeSoto counties. Harrison has the Gulf of Mexico city of Gulfport at its largest city. In 2015 it had the highest number of DUI arrests in the state, and the county had the highest number of DUI convictions. DeSoto County, near Memphis, had the second highest number of convictions.
“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.
