Land of Enchantment my azz…Land of the Drunks! As stated in previous trips, I have never seen so many DUI signs in my life! HA! 
No doubt alcoholism and drunk driving have been and continues to be a problem for New Mexicans. We have had our share of drunk driver related deaths, some very infamous. This includes the likes of Gordon House. House was convicted in 1995 of four counts of vehicular homicide and other charges for the 1992 Christmas Eve deaths of Melanie Cravens, an Albuquerque woman, and her three young daughters.
The four died when House's car, going east in the westbound lanes of Interstate 40, slammed head-on into a car carrying Cravens and her daughters Kandyce, 9; Erin 8; and Kacee, 5.
House testified he had consumed 7 beers in the hours before the crash but said his disorientation was caused by a migraine headache
However, through a program of continuous awareness and stricter laws, penalties and enforcement, New Mexico works hard to reduce DUI related deaths on our highways. In 2004, New Mexico was the 5th leading state for DUI related deaths per capita. The following information is based on 2012 statistics.
States With the Most Drunk Driving Deaths by PopulationSource: 247wallst.com using statistics from 2012
10. Texas
> Drunk driving deaths per 100,000: 5.0
> Total DUI arrests: 85,436 (2nd highest)
> Beer consumption per capita: 34.4 gallons (9th highest)
> Pct. of minors consuming alcohol: 22.4% (14th lowest)
> Pct. of binge drinkers: 18.9% (19th highest)
9. West Virginia
> Drunk driving deaths per 100,000: 5.1
> Total DUI arrests: 5,654 (10th lowest)
> Beer consumption per capita: 30.3 gallons (20th highest)
> Pct. of minors consuming alcohol: 26.9% (15th highest)
> Pct. of binge drinkers: 10.1% (2nd lowest)
8. South Dakota
> Drunk driving deaths per 100,000: 5.3 (tied, 7th highest)
> Total DUI arrests: 5816 (12th lowest)
> Beer consumption per capita: 38.9 gallons (4th highest)
> Pct. of minors consuming alcohol: 26.3% (17th highest)
> Pct. of binge drinkers: 22.1% (6th highest)
7. Alabama
> Drunk driving deaths per 100,000: 5.3 (tied, 7th highest)
> Total DUI arrests: 286 (the lowest)
> Beer consumption per capita: 30.2 gallons (22nd highest)
> Pct. of minors consuming alcohol: 20.4% (5th lowest)
> Pct. of binge drinkers: 13.7% (4th lowest)
6. Oklahoma
> Drunk driving deaths per 100,000: 5.4
> Total DUI arrests: 13,801 (23rd highest)
> Beer consumption per capita: 28.3 gallons (20th lowest)
> Pct. of minors consuming alcohol: 22.3% (13th lowest)
> Pct. of binge drinkers: 16.5% (12th lowest)
5. Mississippi
> Drunk driving deaths per 100,000: 6.0
> Total DUI arrests: 10,221 (22nd lowest)
> Beer consumption per capita: 33.9 gallons (11th highest)
> Pct. of minors consuming alcohol: 22.0% (10th lowest)
> Pct. of binge drinkers total: 14.2% (6th lowest)
4. Wyoming
> Drunk driving deaths per 100,000: 6.9
> Total DUI arrests: 4,147 (7th lowest)
> Beer consumption per capita: 33.0 gallons (15th highest)
> Pct. of minors consuming alcohol: 27.2% (13th highest)
> Pct. of binge drinkers: 18.9% (19th highest)
3. South Carolina
> Drunk driving deaths per 100,000: 7.6
> Total DUI arrests: 17,906 (20th highest)
> Beer consumption per capita: 32.7 gallons (16th highest)
> Pct. of minors consuming alcohol: 22.2% (12th lowest)
> Pct. of binge drinkers: 15.4% (8th lowest)
2. Montana
> Drunk driving deaths per 100,000: 9.0
> Total DUI arrests: 4,418 (9th lowest)
> Beer consumption per capita: 41.0 gallons (3rd highest)
> Pct. of minors consuming alcohol: 29.7% (7th highest)
> Pct. of binge drinkers: 19.2% (17th highest)
1. North Dakota
> Drunk driving deaths per 100,000: 10.3
> Total DUI arrests: 5,730 (11th lowest)
> Beer consumption per capita: 45.8 gallons (the highest)
> Pct. of minors consuming alcohol: 32.8% (3rd highest)
> Pct. of binge drinkers: 23.8% (2nd highest)
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Topic: The Redwood Originals (Read 56112 times)