PA Among Most Lax On Drunk Driving In Nation, Analysis Says

Pennsylvania is among the states that have the most lenient drunk driving laws and enforcement, a new report says.

The personal finance website WalletHub today released an in-depth report on 2016’s Strictest & Most Lenient States on DUI, noting that drunk driving is resulting in more than 1 million arrests, nearly 10,000 deaths and over $40 billion in economic damage each year.

WalletHub analyzed the enforcement rules in each of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia across 15 key metrics, ranging from fines and minimum jail sentences to ignition-interlock-device requirements that drastically reduce repeat arrests of previously convicted drunk drivers.

Here is how Pennsylvania ranks in key metrics (the lower the number, the better):

• 46th - Criminal Penalties
• 45th - Prevention rank
• 13th – Minimum Jail Time (1st offense)
• 15th – Minimum Jail Time (2nd offense)
• 6th – How Long Old DUI Factors into Penalties
• 21st – Administrative License Suspension
• 12th – Minimum Fine (1st offense)
• 17th – Minimum Fine (2nd offense)
• 23rd – Average Insurance Rate Increase After DUI

1. Arizona
2. Georgia
3. Alaska
4. Oklahoma
5. Nebraska
6. Kansas
7. Connecticut
8. Utah
9. West Virginia
10. Texas
11. Virginia
12. Delaware
13. Louisiana
14. Florida
15. Washington
16. Iowa
17. Oregon
18. Colorado
19. Illinois
20. Tennessee
21. Nevada
22. Alabama
23. Arkansas
24. Massachusetts
25. New Hampshire
26. Missouri
27. South Carolina
28. Hawaii
29. Minnesota
30. New Mexico
31. New York
32. Wyoming
33. Kentucky
34. California
35. North Carolina
36. Maine
37. Indiana
38. Rhode Island
39. Wisconsin
40. Montana
41. Mississippi
42. Idaho
43. Michigan
44. New Jersey
45. Maryland
46. Vermont
47. Ohio
48. Pennsylvania
49. North Dakota
50. District of Columbia
51. South Dakota

Click here for the methodology of the report.