Drunk driving: 10 states that go easy on offenders

Drunk driving accidents kill about 10,000 Americans a year. What can be done to reduce the toll? Tough laws for driving while intoxicated (DWI) help. But fines and jail terms are actually less effective at keeping motorists safe than sobriety checkpoints, according to experts at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Believe it or not, 10 states have laws forbidding police from using checkpoints to identify drivers who might have had a bit too much to drink. Keep clicking to find out which states seem to be making things easy on drunk drivers...

Idaho

The possibility of a fatal crash rises once a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reaches 0.05 percent - and goes even higher when BAC reaches 0.08, the legal limit for drunk driving across the U.S. Just how much alcohol can someone safely drink before becoming too impaired to drive? It depends mostly on gender and weight (heavy people and men can drink more). But experts say a good rule of thumb is to have no more than one drink an hour. One drink means 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or a mixed drink containing one shot of 80-proof alcohol.

Iowa

The possibility of a fatal crash rises once a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reaches 0.05 percent - and goes even higher when BAC reaches 0.08, the legal limit for drunk driving across the U.S. Just how much alcohol can someone safely drink before becoming too impaired to drive? It depends mostly on gender and weight (heavy people and men can drink more). But experts say a good rule of thumb is to have no more than one drink an hour. One drink means 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or a mixed drink containing one shot of 80-proof alcohol.

Michigan

The possibility of a fatal crash rises once a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reaches 0.05 percent - and goes even higher when BAC reaches 0.08, the legal limit for drunk driving across the U.S. Just how much alcohol can someone safely drink before becoming too impaired to drive? It depends mostly on gender and weight (heavy people and men can drink more). But experts say a good rule of thumb is to have no more than one drink an hour. One drink means 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or a mixed drink containing one shot of 80-proof alcohol.

Minnesota

The possibility of a fatal crash rises once a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reaches 0.05 percent - and goes even higher when BAC reaches 0.08, the legal limit for drunk driving across the U.S. Just how much alcohol can someone safely drink before becoming too impaired to drive? It depends mostly on gender and weight (heavy people and men can drink more). But experts say a good rule of thumb is to have no more than one drink an hour. One drink means 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or a mixed drink containing one shot of 80-proof alcohol.

Oregon

The possibility of a fatal crash rises once a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reaches 0.05 percent - and goes even higher when BAC reaches 0.08, the legal limit for drunk driving across the U.S. Just how much alcohol can someone safely drink before becoming too impaired to drive? It depends mostly on gender and weight (heavy people and men can drink more). But experts say a good rule of thumb is to have no more than one drink an hour. One drink means 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or a mixed drink containing one shot of 80-proof alcohol.

Rhode Island

The possibility of a fatal crash rises once a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reaches 0.05 percent - and goes even higher when BAC reaches 0.08, the legal limit for drunk driving across the U.S. Just how much alcohol can someone safely drink before becoming too impaired to drive? It depends mostly on gender and weight (heavy people and men can drink more). But experts say a good rule of thumb is to have no more than one drink an hour. One drink means 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or a mixed drink containing one shot of 80-proof alcohol.

Texas

The possibility of a fatal crash rises once a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reaches 0.05 percent - and goes even higher when BAC reaches 0.08, the legal limit for drunk driving across the U.S. Just how much alcohol can someone safely drink before becoming too impaired to drive? It depends mostly on gender and weight (heavy people and men can drink more). But experts say a good rule of thumb is to have no more than one drink an hour. One drink means 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or a mixed drink containing one shot of 80-proof alcohol.

Washington

The possibility of a fatal crash rises once a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reaches 0.05 percent - and goes even higher when BAC reaches 0.08, the legal limit for drunk driving across the U.S. Just how much alcohol can someone safely drink before becoming too impaired to drive? It depends mostly on gender and weight (heavy people and men can drink more). But experts say a good rule of thumb is to have no more than one drink an hour. One drink means 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or a mixed drink containing one shot of 80-proof alcohol.

Wisconsin

The possibility of a fatal crash rises once a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reaches 0.05 percent - and goes even higher when BAC reaches 0.08, the legal limit for drunk driving across the U.S. Just how much alcohol can someone safely drink before becoming too impaired to drive? It depends mostly on gender and weight (heavy people and men can drink more). But experts say a good rule of thumb is to have no more than one drink an hour. One drink means 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or a mixed drink containing one shot of 80-proof alcohol.

Wyoming

The possibility of a fatal crash rises once a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reaches 0.05 percent - and goes even higher when BAC reaches 0.08, the legal limit for drunk driving across the U.S. Just how much alcohol can someone safely drink before becoming too impaired to drive? It depends mostly on gender and weight (heavy people and men can drink more). But experts say a good rule of thumb is to have no more than one drink an hour. One drink means 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or a mixed drink containing one shot of 80-proof alcohol.