Last year, more than 1,100 Minnesota drivers committed their sixth or subsequent alcohol infractions. She points to drunken driving as well as aggressive driving as signs that motorists do not fear apprehension. Observers aren't sure whether the figure means that Minnesota has more drivers drinking than elsewhere, or that the state is doing a better job than others of catching them. Research has reinforced that hunch. According to a 1985 study conducted by St. Cloud State University, drunken drivers in Minnesota elude detection an average of 97 times before they're caught.
Drunks are slipping through the safety net largely because of understaffing, officials say.
David Graham, supervisor of the patrol's Rochester District. When accidents or breakdowns occur, it means calling in county sheriff's deputies or rousing a trooper in the middle of the night. Richard Steffen, who oversees operations at 11 of the State Patrol's districts. The Twin Cities are patrolled around the clock, and so are portions of Rochester, St. Cloud, Duluth and Mankato. Even so, things can get tight.