Getting Tipsy! New Report Says South Dakotans like to Drive Drunk

Getting Tipsy! New Report Says South Dakotans like to Drive Drunk

Dakota News Now (with permission)/Getty Images

Here's something that we definitely don't want South Dakota to be known for, our residents like to drink and drive.

Dakota News Now is reporting that South Dakota is once again one of the top 5 states in the nation when it comes to the most drunk driving cases in the country.

According to data released in April of this year from Zutobi, an online driver education platform, South Dakota ranks #2 in the nation in DUI cases with a ‘DUI Severity Score’ of 81.2 out of 100. We trail Montana when it comes to getting tipsy.

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The Treasure State had a 'DUI Severity Score' of 83.6. Wyoming, North Dakota, and Texas make up the rest of the top 5 states that like to drive buzzed.

What's worse, all of these states are no strangers to Zutobi's list. The exact same five topped the drunk driving list back in 2020 as well. Although, South Dakota's DUI Severity Score is down just a little bit from the number we posted three years ago.

35% of South Dakota's road fatalities in 2021 were linked to impaired driving. According to Dakota News Now, the new data showed there were 915 DUI arrests per 100,000 drivers in South Dakota.

Drunk driving fatalities have been on the rise throughout the nation since 2021. Actually, 2021 was the worst year for drunk driving fatalities in the U.S. since 2014.

The COVID pandemic is partially to blame for the spike in impaired driving incidents that year. A number of people throughout the country used alcohol as a coping mechanism to help deal with COVID-19.

Want another sobering stat, men are over 300% more likely to be involved in a fatal drunk driving accident than women.

Something to keep in mind the next time you get the urge to get behind the wheel while being drunk.

Remember, drink and drive in South Dakota, and our officers will show you some new bars. That's still a great anti-drinking and driving campaign.

Source: Dakota News Now

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BestLifeOnline has a list of 30 of the most common transgressions. How many have you been guilty of over the years?

Out of 30, I am guilty of 19. And no I won't tell you which ones.


The 10 Most Redneck Towns in South Dakota

Are you a 'Redneck?' I guess to some people, all of us in South Dakota are rednecks.

If we use the Jeff Foxworthy Scale of Redneckeness, I have, in fact, been too drunk to fish. So by definition, I am a redneck. And so are many people I know.

Not that being from the country is a bad thing, and it can be fun to poke fun at ourselves.

With that in mind, we found that the folks at RoadSnacks put together a list that claims 'These Are The 10 Most Redneck Cities In South Dakota.'
What is a Redneck?

The dictionary says that a redneck is someone "...who lives in a small town or in the country, especially in the southern U.S., who typically has a working-class job, and who is seen by others as being uneducated and having opinions and attitudes that are offensive."

Well, a few things. First, South Dakota isn't THAT kind of 'south.' We're to the south of North Dakota, but to the north of 'The South.'

Plus that definition sounds awful mean and serious. I thought we were having fun here.

RoadSnacks leaned into the funny, Jeff Foxworthy-based version of a redneck. Then they rounded up select data on places in SD to determine their rankings. RoadSnacks Redneck Criteria:

  • Small towns
  • Least amount of high school graduates
  • Number of bars per city
  • Number of mobile home parks per capita
  • Number of tobacco stores per city
  • Number of places to get fishing gear
  • Number of guns and ammo stores per city
  • Walmarts, Bass Pro Shops, and dollar stores nearby
Filed Under: South Dakota, Drunk Driving
Categories: Articles