New study reveals highest rates of DUI in the U.S.

I want to talk about a new study set to find which states across the country had the highest DUI rates. And a lot of Midwestern states actually ended up making the list of the top 10 or 20. And let's take a look and see where Wisconsin falls. So this is the order that they were ranked in here. So Wyoming here at number one at 2.4. And then going down the list here, as you can see, Wisconsin, though, did crack The top 10, though, as you can see right here at 1.8, falling into sixth place here for the sixth highest DUI rate across the country. Here to talk with me more about this study is Rob Batt. He's a senior writer and insurance expert at LendingTree who conducted this study. Rob, thanks so much for joining me today on Fox 6 Now. Thank you. It's my pleasure. So, looking at this list here, I mean, to be honest, Wisconsin is known for a state that does have a high drinking rate. Like, people love to drink here in Wisconsin. It's a big part of the culture. So, I'm honestly surprised that it's not higher on the list, just with the amount of DUIs that we see here. But just talking a little bit about the numbers and the rankings here, what were the variables in this study? We looked at insurance inquiries. These are from people who are shopping for insurance and requesting quotes. And so we were in the process of requesting quotes. You're supposed to talk about past incidents. You've had recent DUIs, recent traffic accidents, recent Speeding tickets and things of that nature, and that's one of the things that helps determine your insurance rate. So if anything, these might be underreported, but if they are, they'd be underrated across the board. And as we looked at this, we analyzed this by state. We found that we kind of put it into different categories. We created an overall rating for And for people who have the. You know, states where drivers have the highest rates of combined incidents. And so, you know, if you look at overall, Wisconsin's overall rating is 22 among the 50 states plus Washington, D.C. So just kind of right there in the middle of the pack. When you break it out for DUIs, then Wisconsin shows up as number six, six highest. So this is not a. This is not a ranking where you want to have a lower score. You want to be farther in the pack. So, you know, that's a little troubling. It's certainly not news you want to hear about your state. And it's something, you know, it's something to bear in mind as you think about driving, driving safely, is to make sure that you're not putting yourself in a position where you are impaired while you're driving. And I was looking at the full list here, specifically relating to the DUI rates, and a lot of Midwest states crack the top 10 and 20. Is there any research behind why that is? Is it a cultural thing? You know, this study didn't look at the why. And so, of course, it opens it up to speculation. I believe five of the states with the highest DUI rates are in the Midwest. I think Nebraska leads that pack. It ranks number two. And North Dakota and Iowa also, you know, if areas are investing resources to discourage people from drinking and driving and keeping people who are impaired off roads, then that goes a long way towards improving safety. And so I know you said that this study specifically didn't investigate into the why, more just looking at those insurance reports and those numbers. But did anything surprise you about the states that did crack in the top ratings here or the ones that were in last place? Sure. You know, one of the things that's surprising is that Wyoming ranks so high and Wyoming is, you know, it has it's a very sparsely populated state. And so that was, you You know, I think it has fewer drivers, but then a higher percentage of them have had DUIs. I think, you know, a lot of what this shows, possibly, is that... You Some areas, we live in a very car-dependent society in general, know and people just need their car to get around. We don't have, in other parts of the world, you you have better transit or cities are designed where it's easier to get around, very where if you're going to a place where you're going to imbibe or going to a place where you're going to celebrate with friends, you may not have to drive. much. You may not have to drive afterwards. And I think here, we're just kind of used to driving. It's a part of our life after anything. Thank You know, some of the places that had lower rates of DUI included New York City, or I'm sorry, New York in general, Illinois. you Of course, Chicago is a big city with good transit. And so I think for those are some of the things where you look at places that have high DUI rates. You know, having I think one of the common threads is you don't see very, you don't see transit systems. You know, you see places where things are kind of spread out me. a little bit more. And so maybe that you know, it's not just that people are imbibing, but it's also that they have to drive. They don't have alternatives to driving, and you know, that's something that may be one of the factors that's pushing these rates up in certain places. Yeah, that is very interesting to say, because I know Illinois, who is just On the border, our friends across the border from us has one of the lowest. But when you think about it, I mean, at least in Milwaukee, it's like you need to have a car if you want to get somewhere. I mean, it's a walkable city to an extent. But if you want to get to like a Target or a Walmart, you have to have a car. So that that is an interesting observation that you do make there. And I know this doesn't look into the why this study. So looking at these numbers, what was the reason why? Because I know you were saying nobody wants to see their state in the top 10 here. This is by no means an accomplishment or a good thing to crack the top 10 or the top 20. So what do you hope people get out of this study after looking at these numbers? Well, we come at these things from an insurance and personal finance side. And really, you know, the cost of insurance goes up by so much after a DUI. It puts such a tremendous financial burden on a person. And, you know, it's really important to be aware, not only the dangers of DUI, which, of course, you could put your life and the life of other people in danger, but there's also a huge financial consequence. And really, if nothing else, I mean, You know, when you talk about getting people to take action and to do things responsibly, you could appeal to intellect, but then when you bring out the financial impacts it might have, that's oftentimes a bigger motivator for people. And so people should really be mindful of all the impacts of DUI, including the financial impacts, which could just put such a strain on all your financial goals. Yeah. And I mean, insurance bills alone without having that DUI on there can cost you so much. What is the impact? I know it varies by state and by city, depending on where you're at, but how much money could you be looking at about spending more if you are getting in one of these accidents and have that on your record? Yeah, you know, just a DUI alone will make your insurance rate go up about 80%, so almost double. So we're talking about A thousand to two thousand extra a year or, you know, over the course of three or five years, that's, you know, three to five to seven thousand dollars. I mean, that's almost getting into the territory of buying a new car. So, you know, when you think about about what you could do with with all that money that you'd have to spend on insurance, then, you know, certainly, you know, that's one more reason. That's one more reason to find an alternative to driving if you you've had a few or if you're impaired. And is this an annual study that you guys do? I mean, is there room for? There is an annual. This is an annual study, and it's based on insurance inquiries. So it's based on submissions from real insurance consumers. It changes a little bit from year to year, but I think I didn't see any big changes in this year compared to last year. I think states that ranked high this year also ranked high last year, although not necessarily in the same order. Sure. And I mean, I think there's room for improvement, I guess, which is the news. So hopefully we see Wisconsin later on this list when we do talk again for the study when you guys do it next year. But we'll have to see. Rob, anything else you feel like is important for people to know who are watching right now? You know, driving a serious business, take it seriously. You know, it requires all your attention and all your focus. So If you're impaired, find someone else to drive or take an Uber or a Lyft or something else and let someone who can focus on the road take the wheel and just allow yourself to not have to worry about creating a problem that might hurt people or may impact your personal household budget. Yeah, absolutely. A great message and reminder, especially as the holiday season's rolling around. I think very good for people to know and remember. Rob, such an insightful conversation. We really appreciate you joining us today on Fox 6 Now. Pleasure's mine. Thank you.