Last month, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced that it would have additional patrols on Minnesota roads from Aug. 20 through Labor Day (Sept. 6) as part of its Labor Day DWI Campaign – designed to reduce the number of drunk drivers on the road leading up to the holiday weekend.
DPS released a report today (Sept. 15) stating that DWI arrests were down 31 percent from the same time period last year. DPS reported there were 1,147 drivers arrested by deputies and state troopers during the campaign, down from 1,649 arrests during the same period of 2020.
In addition, there were 130 “move over” citations (failure to move to another lane when a law enforcement officer has someone pulled over on the shoulder) handed out during the 2021 campaign. That is down from 294 in the same period of 2020.
One of the reasons for the additional patrols has been a deadly year for Minnesota drivers. Through Labor Day, there have been 327 deaths on Minnesota roads this year – an increase of 27 percent from the 258 reported at this point in 2020.
More than 300 Minnesota law enforcement agencies participated in the Labor Day DWI Campaign, including the Wright County Sheriff’s Office.