117 people were arrested for DWI offenses on New Year’s Eve alone, according to the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety, a rise in recent years.
The arrests occurred between 6 p.m. Sunday and 8 a.m. Monday as police officers were no doubt on the lookout for revelers who had not heeded warnings about drinking and driving over the holiday period; one of which came from the State Traffic Safety Office whose Facebook account in the days leading up to New Year’s Eve.
“If you didn’t make a new year’s resolution, here’s an idea: Always plan ahead and line up a sober ride,” it read.
There has been a downward trend in DWI arrests around the state in recent years, but they were up last year compared with 2016.
There were 25,190 arrests in 2017, a substantial increase from 23,392 in 2016, while there were 28,656 arrests in 2012, according to information from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
