Officers from all over the Northland are very concerned about the increased number of people being arrested for DWIs In the Northland. Some of which have come with horrific circumstances. Like the Superior Police Sergeant Greg Swanson, who was reportedly intoxicated while driving earlier this month, and is accused of killing a man and his baby by striking their vehicle.

This past Friday the Minnesota Stae Patrol said a man driving on I-35 while intoxicated caused a deadly crash. Hermantown Police Chief Jim Crace said his officers are on track to more than triple the average amount of DWIs this year. Crace said the average blood alcohol concentration of those arrested in 2022 is .16%, double the legal limit of .08%.

Crace said to CBS3: "You don’t have to look very far to see tragic outcomes of people drinking and driving, There’s just no reason for it in today’s day and age when we know the impacts. We know how serious it is. It’s easier and easier every year to avoid it.”

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Thankfully statewide the statistics are not as alarming. Mike Hanson who is the Director of the Minnesota Department of Traffic Safety, said the number of people driving while intoxicated has increased steadily but they have noticed the sharpest rise in drug-impaired driving. DWI Patrols have also increased across the state now that many departments have regained staff after the pandemic.

Hanson went on to say to CBS3:

There’s no reason anybody in Minnesota should wind up in the back seat of a squad car, in the back of an ambulance, or the back of a hearse for that matter, because of an impaired driving decision they made.

Plan ahead with a designated driver or plan on an Uber, Lyft, or cab.

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