Minnesota sees slight increase in DWI arrests during 2023 holiday enforcement

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) released its 2023 statistics for its holiday DWI campaign, which consisted of increased law enforcement efforts by 279 agencies from the day before Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve.

During the campaign, law enforcement made 2,432 arrests for impaired driving, up from the 2,228 arrests during the 2022 campaign.

Friday’s press release highlighted a few arrests, including a Lakeville police officer who arrested a woman with an initial blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.40 after she fell asleep at a busy intersection, and her vehicle rolled into a squad car.

A driver who had a child in the backseat was arrested by a Minnesota State Trooper after weaving on a roadway. Authorities say the driver had a BAC of 0.225. Meanwhile, Spring Lake Park Police arrested a driver on Christmas with a BAC of 0.35 while he said he was on his way to get pizza.

"If you’re out relaxing with friends over dinner and drinks, that’s fine, just make sure you have a sober ride home," said OTS Director Mike Hanson in a statement. "If a person thinks they’re okay to drive after drinking, that can be a warning sign right there. Don’t risk it like we saw with too many drivers during this campaign."

The Twin Cities metro area had the highest reported BACs in the state: