Troopers from the Detroit Lakes office of the Minnesota State Patrol made 579 traffic stops and handled 13 injury crashes during the holiday season.
The office also handled 15 DWI cases and 31 property crashes between the night of Dec. 22 and Tuesday morning, according to statistics released Wednesday.
In one category - fatal crashes handled - the number of cases was zero.
Total statewide statistics for 2006 have yet to be compiled, but preliminary figures indicate the number of fatal crashes in Minnesota last year was one of the lowest since the 1940s, according to State Patrol Sgt. Andy Schmidt.
The approximately 40,000 DWI cases, however, may be a record, he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
"When traffic fatality numbers go down, everyone in the traffic safety community is happy," Schmidt said.
On the other hand, he said, the DWI numbers raise a question: "Why are there still so many to be arrested?"
