The Answer: Wisconsin, North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota
The question: What states have the highest rates of drunk driving?
Utah had the lowest incidence of drunken driving. It was the only state where fewer than 10 percent of adult motorists reported driving under the influence. Following closely behind were a slew of Southern states that often fare poorly when it comes to government health statistics. This time, however, they're serving as models. West Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina all had drunken driving rates for the prior year of less than 11 percent.
The report on drunken driving relies on data obtained from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The survey, based on a scientific random sample of households, asked 127,283 adults in 2004, 2005 and 2006 whether they had driven under the influence in the past year. Health experts say the state-by-state breakdowns support other surveys showing that residents in northern states are more likely to engage in heavy alcohol consumption.
As for driving under the influence of what the government still calls "illicit" drugs:
The federal government also released estimates of driving under the influence of illicit drugs. The rates were highest in the District of Columbia, 7 percent; Rhode Island, 6.8 percent; and Massachusetts, 6.4 percent.
The states with the lowest rates for driving under the influence of illicit drugs within the past year were New Jersey, 3.2 percent; Alabama, 3.4 percent; and North Dakota and South Dakota, 3.5 percent.
Over the past decade, alcohol-related accdients—defined as those involving a driver with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or higher—remained flat in absolute numbers: 12,348 in 1996 to 12,491 in 2006. Factoring in driving miles, which this story doesn't do, would mean a decline in relative terms.
What percentage of Hit & Runners have driven drunk or under the influence of "illicit" drugs? Do you feel left out if you live in a state that wasn't mentioned above? Does this news put the hurt on the "Wisconsin is for Cheese Lovers" tourism campaign?