Which States Are Strictest on Drunken Drivers?

CARS.COM — Thanks to stricter standards, aggressive enforcement, harsher penalties and changing social attitudes, drunk-driving deaths in the U.S. have declined by more than half since the early 1980s. Despite this progress, driving under the influence of alcohol still accounts for nearly a third of traffic fatalities annually. According to a new study, some states are working harder than others to bring that percentage down.

Related: DUI Fatalities Continue Decades-Long Slide

Researchers at personal-finance website WalletHub.com examined DUI enforcement in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to determine which were toughest on drunken drivers — and which were softest. A common element among all but a handful of the strictest states was the required installation of an ignition-interlocking device upon first conviction for a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 or more, now mandated by more than half of states.

“These devices analyze the driver’s breath and won’t permit the car to start if alcohol is detected,” WalletHub stated in its report. “The federal government estimates that these devices have reduced re-arrest rates of DUI offenders by 67 percent.”

Arizona ranks No. 1 among states toughest on DUI with an overall score of 84 percent. The Grand Canyon State requires a minimum jail sentence of 10 days on a first-time conviction, 90 days on a second and an automatic felony on a third; a seven-year period in which a DUI conviction factors into penalties; a 90-day license suspension; vehicle impoundment; a mandatory ignition-interlock device installed for a year; additional penalties for a BAC of 0.15 or above; and mandatory alcohol assessment for offenders; a $750 first-time fine and $1,750 for the second; “no refusal” sobriety testing; an average insurance-rate increase of 37 percent; child endangerment protection; and sobriety checkpoints.

South Dakota, meanwhile, ranks dead last, at No. 51, with a score of just 19 percent. The Mount Rushmore State requires no minimum sentence for first or second DUI convictions; an automatic felony after the third offense; a 10-year period in which a conviction factors into penalties; no license suspension, vehicle impoundment or mandatory ignition interlock; additional penalties for a BAC of 0.17 or above; no mandatory alcohol assessment; no minimum fine for a first or second offense; “no refusal” sobriety testing; a 27-percent average insurance increase; no child-endangerment protection; and sobriety checkpoints.

The top 10 strictest states, followed by their overall percentage score, are:

10. Texas, 55%

9. West Virginia, 58%

8. Utah, 59%

7. Connecticut, 59%

6. Kansas, 60%

5. Nebraska, 62%

4. Oklahoma, 62%

3. Alaska, 65%

2. Georgia, 70%

1. Arizona, 84%

On the other end of the strictness spectrum, the top 10 softest states on DUI (including the District of Columbia) are:

10. Idaho, 33%

9. Michigan, 33%

8. New Jersey, 32%

7. Maryland, 32%

6. Vermont, 30%

5. Ohio, 29%

4. Pennsylvania, 27%

3. North Dakota, 26%

2. D.C., 22%

1. South Dakota, 19%