Minn. Public Safety Agency: 166 Killed in Alcohol-related Crashes in ’06

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety announced recently that 166 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in Minnesota in 2006, the lowest death total on record.

However, the department says a record-high 41,951 motorists were arrested for impaired driving. That’s about 115 driving while impaired arrests a day.

The department’s office of Traffic Safety compiles the Minnesota Impaired Driving Facts annually. Some of the other key findings:

Minnesota had nearly 4,700 alcohol-related crashes in 2006 _ 3,500 people were injured in those crashes.

76 percent of those arrested for DWI were male.

Nearly half of the DWI arrests were made on Saturdays and Sundays.

Two-thirds of alcohol-related traffic deaths were outside the Twin Cities.