Don't start the New Year with a DWI

 
A New Year’s Eve beer with a friend. A glass of wine at a family member’s home. One shot for the road. A drink here or there may not seem like much, but one drink can affect a driver’s judgment.
 
Add in the challenge of driving in inclement weather and you have a recipe for disaster. This holiday season, the Minnesota State Patrol recommends giving the gift of life by choosing a sober ride every time you decide to have even one drink.
 
Snow and ice make driving conditions challenging enough. Drivers who consume even one drink can experience delayed reaction times. That’s why drivers should line up a sober ride any time they decide to drink alcohol.
 
Over the last five years, more than 125,000 people were arrested for DWI in Minnesota. Almost 13,000 of those DWI arrests happen between the Thanksgiving and New Year’s holidays. That’s 10 percent of all DWIs in the last five years.
 
The decision to get behind the wheel after drinking is costing too many people their lives over the holiday season: drunk driving has contributed to 28 deaths on Minnesota roads during the holiday season in the last five years (2012-2017).
 
The Minnesota State Patrol says it will have extra drunk driving enforcement out on New Year's Eve. They encourage everyone to find a sober ride home from their celebrations.
 
WTIP’s Rhonda Silence spoke with Sgt. Neil Dickenson of the Minnesota State Patrol about this additional enforcement—and what a motorist can expect if stopped while driving while intoxicated.