By Jeff Amy | August 17, 2012
Mississippi no longer ranks among the top 10 states for deaths caused by drunk drivers, thanks to a big drop in alcohol-related traffic fatalities in 2010.
Gov. Phil Bryant and law enforcement officials announced this week that Mississippi’s rate of alcohol-related deaths per million miles driven fell sharply in 2010, the last year with complete statistics.
Mississippi’s rate of drunk-driving deaths has fallen to 20th among states, although it’s still above the national rate.
Alcohol-related traffic deaths in Mississippi fell from 364 in 2009 to 231 in 2010. That’s a 37 percent drop.
Among those who spoke at the announcement was Gulfport Police Chief Alan Weatherford, whose daughter, Deanna Tucker, was hit in April 2011 by a drunk driver. Tucker died within hours at a hospital.
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