Montana Drunk Driving Laws Worst in the Nation: MADD
Montana's drunk driving enforcement rates as the worst in the nation, while five other states have the most robust enforcement in the nation, according to a report from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

Photo via Pixabay.

Photo via Pixabay.
Montana's drunk driving enforcement rates as the worst in the nation, while five other states have the most robust enforcement in the nation, according to a report from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
The Jan. 24 report rated every state's drunk driving enforcement using a scale of one to five stars. Montana earned just a half-star, and five additional lowest-ranking states — Idaho, Iowa, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Wyoming — scored 1.5 stars.
While no state earned a perfect score, five top-ranking states received 4.5 stars. These included Arizona, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, and West Virginia.
The report rates state enforcement of drunk driving in five categories:
Conducting sobriety checkpoints
Ignition interlocks for all drunk driving offenders with a .08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and above
Administratively revoking driving privileges upon arrest for drunk driving
Creating enhanced penalties for those who drive drunk with children in the vehicle
Adopting penalties and expediting warrants for suspected drunk drivers who refuse an alcohol test.
Some noteworthy data in the report includes:
30 states and the District of Columbia require ignition interlocks after the first offense.
37 states and the District of Columbia conduct sobriety checkpoints — with 32 and the District of Columbia conducting them at least once a month.
41 states and the District of Columbia immediately revoke driving privileges while the offender awaits trial.
47 states and the District of Columbia have additional penalties for driving drunk with a child passenger, but only 7 states treat this crime as a felony.
The new report, which also highlights drunk driving countermeasures, is part of MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving. Launched in 2006, the campaign has helped to reduce drunk driving deaths by 23.5%, according to Colleen Sheehey-Church, national president of MADD.
Over 10,000 people still lose their lives every year to drunk driving. After years of steady decline, drunk driving deaths increased in 2015 and 2016.
To motivate states to strengthen their drunk driving laws, MADD’s rating system allows for half-star ratings for states that need to improve their existing laws. For example, the states that conduct sobriety checkpoints receive a half star, but those that conduct them at least once a month receive a full star.
Over the past year, MADD’s campaign efforts have helped pass and strengthen ignition interlock laws in Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and Oregon. The organization also successfully curbed attempts to weaken current interlock laws in Arkansas, Texas, Wyoming, Kansas, Virginia, Georgia, and Connecticut.
Read the report here.
More Safety

The Safest Fleets Aren’t the Ones with the Most Technology
You’ve made the telematics investment. Here’s how to capture the other half of its value and build the safest fleet on the road.
Read More →
Hidden in Plain Sight: Fleet Compliance Risks
Fleet compliance isn't just about having policies — it's about consistently enforcing them. This practical guide reveals six hidden compliance risks common in public sector and shared fleet operations and outlines proven strategies to improve visibility, accountability, and audit readiness
Read More →
NETS Sets 2026 Fleet Safety Benchmark Conference for Indianapolis
The Sept. 15–17 program will feature fleet benchmarking data, case studies, emerging technologies, and implementation strategies while running alongside the NSC Safety Congress & Expo.
Read More →
Off-the-Job Crashes Account for 43% of Employers’ $61.7 Billion Crash Burden
NETS quantifies costs dispersed across fleet, risk, HR, and other departments while providing new per-crash benchmarks for employers.
Read More →
Ram Recalls More Than 1.27 Million 1500 Pickups for Seat Belt Anchor Issue
The recall affects certain 2019-2026 Ram 1500 pickups that may have improperly attached second-row seat belt buckle anchors.
Read More →How Better Visibility Cut Speeding Violations by 48%
Fleet leaders don't need more data, they need clearer visibility into what the data is saying. This case study explores how one utility replaced speeding-event counts with a single metric — miles driven in violation — to strengthen safety and significantly reduce speeding violations.
Read More →
Operation Safe Driver Week: Why the Industry's Oldest Safety Campaign Still Matters to Fleets
A look at how a 2007 enforcement initiative became one of the most consequential weeks on the fleet safety calendar, and what it means for your drivers in 2026.
Read More →
Nexar-Nauto Merger Aims to Give Fleets Better Safety Intelligence Through Larger Driving Dataset
Stefan Heck tells Automotive Fleet that combining more than 10 billion miles of driving history with Nexar's AI models will give fleets deeper insights into driver risk and roadway conditions than either company could provide independently.
Read More →From Silos to Solutions: Relationship Management for Safer Fleets
From telematics adoption and driver accountability to policy consistency and risk mitigation, this episode breaks down what it really takes to build a safer fleet culture without slowing business down.
Read More →
IIHS Launches First Commercial Vehicle Safety Evaluations
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has begun evaluating heavy-duty pickups and cargo vans for driver protection. Which models earned top marks?
Read More →
