AT A GLANCEIn a Mothers Against Drunk Driving national ranking, five states received a perfect score of five stars, and five states received only one star for efforts to deter drunk driving.States with five stars• Arizona• Illinois• Kansas• Nebraska• UtahStates with one star• Michigan• Montana• Pennsylvania• Rhode Island• South DakotaSource: MADD
Tennessee scored below the national average and behind neighboring Georgia and Alabama in a new report evaluating drunk-driving prevention efforts.
All three states are working to strengthen drunken driving laws, with new legislative efforts expected in 2012.
“[Drunken driving] is a tremendous problem,” said Tennessee state Sen. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge.
In 2009, there were 303 DUI fatalities in Tennessee, 331 in Georgia and 280 in Alabama, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.