With Texas having one of the nation’s highest rates of drunk driving, it’s no surprise that the state’s laws against driving while intoxicated are not the toughest, says the Houston Chronicle. That designation goes to Arizona, which has the nation’s longest minimum jail term (10 days) for first-time offenders, according to WalletHub. The financial services website published a report on which states are easiest and hardest on driving while intoxicated.
West Virginia, which ranks fourth in WalletHub’s list, has the longest minimum sentence (180 days) for second-time offenders. Alcohol-impaired driving was the cause of 31 percent of motor vehicle fatalities in 2012 , says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Texas led the nation in deaths caused by a drunk driver, with 1,337, says the advocacy group MADD. WalletHub has Texas is tied with New Hampshire at No. 18 among tough states on drunk driving, reflecting its scores on 15 measures.