Arkansas has found itself tenth on a list of the worst states for drunk driving, according to data analyzed by backgroundchecks.org and released in March 2017.
The Natural State had a DUI death rate (per 100,000) of 4.99 and 6,919 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.
“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 Arkansas, go here. Helping yourself is always the first step in having your DUI attorney help you.
A factor in Arkansas 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 state’s search for new recruits to ease Arkansas’ shortage of troopers, and in Little Rock, the state’s largest city; filling local police slots is even more troublesome.
“We’re losing them (officers) faster than we’re making them is how I’d put it,” John Gilchrist with the Fraternal Order of Police in Little Rock said in a news story. “I think it’s always a concern when the mandatory numbers are necessary to staff a department of this size.”
Information on Arkansas’s DUI laws can be found here. And, even more information on DUI laws across the nation can be found here.
The Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro area, located in northwest Arkansas, is reportedly the location the with the largest share of excessive drinkers in the state, according to an online article in 24/7 Wall St. Fayetteville, the third largest city in the state, is home to the University of Arkansas.
“We view the UofA as a city-within-a-city because there are more students there than most towns in Arkansas,” Rick Crisman with the Alcohol Beverage Control said in a 2013 article. “The average age of a citizen in that ‘town’ is 19, and alcohol is socially acceptable and so it’s a major, major problem.”
“We have to create more creative ways to try and get the message out. If that is arresting kids and writing citations then that are something we will do,” he said.
The University of Arkansas had an enrollment of more than 27,000 students in 2016.
“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.
