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DENVER — Colorado ranked in the bottom half of states with DUI problems in a study released Thursday.

Colorado ranked 21st, according to a study by BackgroundChecks.org.

The company used a combination of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Transportation data and local state data to create comprehensive scores for each state.

Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and South Carolina ranked as the worst states. The best-ranked states were New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, New Jersey and Utah.

“The fact that over 10,000 people a year die from DUI related accidents is a travesty”, said Trent Wilson, co-author of the research. “We hope this research will open some eyes and make people think twice before drinking and driving.”

DUIs increased last year across the country, according to the CDC and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.