MN Driver Had Life-Threatening .41 BAC During Holiday Crackdown

ST. PAUL, MN — A driver in Elk River was arrested during Minnesota’s holiday DWI enforcement campaign with a staggering 0.415 blood alcohol content (BAC) — a level so dangerously high it’s considered life-threatening.

The BAC is more than five times Minnesota’s legal limit of 0.08. At that level, the driver’s blood is so saturated with alcohol that it’s not just illegal—it’s life-threatening, even without getting behind the wheel of a car.

The arrest, part of a statewide effort to keep roads safe, highlights the shocking risks some drivers take when getting behind the wheel impaired.

Law enforcement officials say the driver’s BAC was one of the highest recorded during the campaign, which saw over 2,000 DWI arrests between Nov. 27 and Dec. 31.

Other wild arrests during the DWI crackdown include:

"A 27-year-old with six DWIs, and a man driving impaired with three children in the car— these examples are disturbing and heartbreaking, but we know there were drivers who chose to do the right thing and drive safe and sober this holiday," said Traffic Safety Director Mike Hanson.

"To those sober drivers I say thank you; it really was a gift. For those who chose to drive impaired, we’re grateful to our law enforcement partners who are relentlessly protecting Minnesotans from those reckless decisions."