Minnesota Holiday DWI Arrests: Five Years of Numbers

Each year, Minnesota runs an extra DWI enforcement campaign over the holidays. The state’s Office of Traffic Safety coordinates it with federal highway safety funds. The last five campaigns show a clear pattern in Minnesota holiday DWI arrests. Thousands of drivers are arrested every single year.

The numbers

Here’s what the Department of Public Safety reported for each holiday campaign:

• 2021: 2,012 DWI arrests.
• 2022: 2,228 arrests, from Nov. 23 through Dec. 31.
• 2023: 2,432 arrests by 279 agencies, from Nov. 22 through New Year’s Eve.
• 2024: 2,079 arrests, from Nov. 27 through Dec. 31.
• 2025: 2,170 arrests by 296 agencies, from Nov. 26 through Dec. 31.

That adds up to more than 10,900 DWI arrests across five holiday seasons. The yearly total has moved up and down, but it has stayed above 2,000 every year.

What the reports show

Each year’s results include cases that stand out. In the 2025 campaign, more than 24 agencies reported stops with drivers over 0.30 blood alcohol content. One driver tested at 0.357, which DPS noted is more than four times the legal limit.

In the 2024 campaign, the State Patrol’s west metro district made 247 DWI arrests, the most of any Twin Cities agency. A deputy also took a driver with 21 prior DWI convictions off the road. That driver was arrested for felony DWI after a crash in Minneapolis.

The 2023 campaign had its own warning signs. The highest reported blood alcohol content was 0.46, in Lakeville. That’s almost six times the legal limit. In Olmsted County, deputies arrested a driver for a seventh DWI.

The pattern is the same every year. A few cases make the news. Thousands more never do, but each one still means an arrest, a court date, and a license at risk.

When the campaign runs

In each of the last four campaigns, extra enforcement started the day before Thanksgiving and ran through New Year’s Eve. Hundreds of agencies take part, from big-city police to small-town sheriff’s offices. After recent campaigns, DPS has released the results in January. When DPS announced the 2024 campaign, news reports said the extra patrols would focus on weekends.

What does that mean if you’re stopped during the campaign? This guide to how holiday DWI enforcement works in Minnesota covers the campaign and what happens after a traffic stop.

The cost behind the numbers

Arrests are only part of the story. Minnesota had 664 alcohol-related driving deaths from 2019 to 2023, according to state traffic safety figures. Each of those was a family that lost someone.

Why the holidays are different

The holiday season packs a lot into a few weeks. Office parties. Family dinners. New Year’s Eve. More people are on the road at night, and more of them have been drinking.

That’s why the state puts extra officers out during this stretch. It’s also why a little planning goes a long way.

Plan your ride before the party

A plan you make in the afternoon is easier to stick to than one you make at midnight.

• Pick a sober driver before you leave home.
• Save a rideshare or cab app on your phone.
• If you’re hosting, offer guests a place to stay.
• Eat before and during the party, and switch to water early.
• If you plan to drive, plan not to drink.
• Remember that cannabis, THC edibles, and some medications can impair you too.

DPS has made that last point in its own campaign messages. Impaired driving is not only about alcohol.

Check the official results

DPS posts results after each campaign. You can read the Department of Public Safety’s report on the 2025 holiday campaign, including the list of agencies that took part.

The bottom line

The numbers stay high year after year. Planning a sober ride before the party is the simplest way to keep your name out of next year’s report.