Study Ranks Michigan Among States Most Lenient On Drunken Drivers

DETROIT (WWJ) - According to a new study from personal finance website Wallethub, Michigan ranks pretty low when it comes to drunken driving laws.

The report on 2017's Strictest & Most Lenient States puts Michigan at number 43 when multiple factors are considered.

Jill Gonzalez, an analyst for Wallethub, says there is currently no minimum sentence for first time DUI conviction (or DWI, as it's called in Michigan).

"So it doesn't do much when it comes to preventative steps to that second conviction," Gonzalez told WWJ's Chrystal Knight,
and once you do get convicted second time, the minimum jail time is only five days."

In addition, Gonzalez pointed out: "Right now the minimum find for the first conviction (in Michigan) is only a hundred bucks; typically $500 in most other states. Your second conviction is only 200 bucks; it's usually $1,000 in most other states."

The study found the strictest state is Arizona, while the most lenient state is South Dakota. [See the full rankings here].

According to Wallethub, drunken driving results in $44 billion in economic damage in the U.S.  each year.