Mitchell – DUI arrests up; related deaths fall

DUI arrests up; related deaths fall

DUI arrests have skyrocketed in Mississippi in the past several years, helping lead to the lowest number of drunken driving deaths in decades.

It’s welcome news for a state that has ranked among the nation’s worst in per capita alcohol-related deaths. Projections estimate drunken driving deaths in 2010 in Mississippi will be about 232 – far below the 384 tallied in 2007.

The drop coincides with the state seeing more than 32,000 DUI arrests for the second year in a row, far more than the 22,511 several years ago.

Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol officials attribute the rise in DUI arrests to local and county agencies across the state getting more involved.

Clarion Ledger
11/21/10