The next time some South Dakota politician bloviates about South Dakota values, ask him/her why our vaunted values of faith, family, and freedom don’t keep us from putting the freedom of our faithful family and friends at risk by driving drunk more than other folks:
Data from the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer shows 30,051 people were arrested for driving under the influence in South Dakota between 2021 and 2025. Of those arrests, 8,220 involved women.
A study released by Las Vegas-based Ladah Injury & Car Accident Lawyers found South Dakota ranks second nationwide for the highest rate of DUI arrests among women, trailing only New Jersey.
…A similar study done by Forbes and another by Alcohol.org found South Dakota has the highest amount of DUI arrests per capita [Hannah Hutter, “Sobriety Checkpoints Set for 16 Counties amid Rising Female DUI Arrest Rate,” KOTA-TV, 2025.12.26].
Drunk drivers killed 44 people in South Dakota in 2022. Every one of those deaths would have been prevented by the application of commonsense values: Don’t drink and drive. Don’t get drunk in the first place.
But evidently South Dakota values falter when we get thirsty.
For a state with less than one million people, 44 deaths from drunk drivers in one year is unacceptable.
There are many functioning alcoholics and downright boozers in SD however I don’t think that women have increased their imbibing of the demon drink. Women have usually been at home drinkers or quiet drinkers, yet behaviors have changed. Driving while drinking has landed more women in prison recently, along with other substance abuse problems. 75% of their new lock up will be these same women.
There have to be societal connections/reasons. Love to hear from a male perspective.
– South Dakota’s drinking culture is totally normal to y’all.
– Drunk driving is totally normal to y’all in SoDak.
– Your politicians prefer to talk about “family values” rather than confront the behaviors that actually kill families.
– Maybe start with the “closing time roadies” (strong alcohol drinks in plastic cups with lids and straws included, to appear normal if pulled over) that bartenders dole out to get bigger tips at closing.
– Cory is right to push this tension into the light.
So, South Dakota Republicans love the police state as women are being incarcerated at the highest rates on Earth and triple the US average but the state’s law enforcement industry wants that number to be even higher. In a state that sells freedom sobriety checkpoints, especially near reservation borders, mean South Dakota has the highest number of DUI arrests per capita. Between 2021 and 2025 South Dakota arrested 8,220 women for drunk driving at the second highest rate in the nation in a state where it’s reported that sixty seven percent of Native American women reoffend.
Who pays to build a gambling casino? The chronic losers.
Who pays to build a new prison? same
Mr. Lansing, please tell more about these “closing time roadies.” It seems an interesting concept.
Is part of this our car culture that EVERYONE drives — especially on these cold, winter days?
They should have less quarterfinal games at 7:30 pm. I’m watching Miami vs Ohio State tonight. Who knows?