There are extra law enforcement officers on Minnesota roads now through Labor Day looking for drunk driving and other offenses. State Traffic Safety Office Director Donna Berger says, “Our message is simple: If you’re planning to celebrate the close of summer with friends and family, plan a sober ride.” She says over the past four years, Labor Day has been the most dangerous holiday for drunk driving on Minnesota roads.
Berger says over 40 percent of drivers arrested for D-W-I in Minnesota in 2015 had a least one prior offense. “We need enforcement to remove these drivers from behind the wheel. It’s not safe for them, and it’s not safe for any of us that are sharing the road with them,” she says. Berger notes Minnesota’s D-W-I courts, now operating in 11 areas of the state, offer hope for those struggling with alcohol addiction. A study found D-W-I courts reduced repeat offenses up to 69 percent.
2017 D-W-I Courts in Minnesota:
· Beltrami 9th Judicial District Court
· Cass County Court 9th Judicial District Court
· Crow Wing County 9th Judicial District Court
· Hennepin County 4th Judicial District Court
· Pennington/Marshall County 9th Judicial District Court
· Roseau/Kittson County 9th Judicial District Court
· Ramsey County 2nd Judicial district Court
· Ottertail County 7th Judicial District Court
· St Louis County 6th Judicial District Court
· Tri-County DWI Court 9th Judicial District Court
· White Earth Reservation