Minnesota Cracking Down on Speeders After Alarming Number of Deaths

(KNSI) – Minnesota officials are in the middle of a statewide crackdown on speeding drivers, but some people aren’t getting the message.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety started the extra enforcement campaign in February due to an alarming number of deadly crashes since the first of the year.

Minnesota State Patrol Col. Matt Langer says people need to slow down to avoid more than a ticket.

“The reason why is simple speed kills. Of the four things that I mentioned, lack of seatbelt use, distracted driving, and impaired driving, speed is the one thing that makes everything else worse. And we need to see something change on our roads to make them safer than they are today.”

So far, during 2021, 66 people died on Minnesota roads, with at least 27 related to speed. Troopers have ticketed 172 motorists for speeds of 100 mph or more compared with 95 this time last year.

Law enforcement says if you speed, expect to be stopped. But enforcement alone isn’t enough.

Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Margaret Anderson Kelliher says everyone needs to pitch in to solve this deadly problem.

“It’s all of our jobs to keep Minnesotans safe. And I just want to say as a commissioner and as a mother, it’s also time for people to have direct conversations about speeding and about what’s happening. And it’s okay to speak up and to talk to one another about slowing down and appropriate speed.”

The alarming increase in speeding and traffic fatalities started during the beginning of the pandemic.

The speeding crisis claimed 120 lives in 2020, the most since 125 people were killed on Minnesota roads in 2008.

Law enforcement from across Minnesota will be out enforcing speed limits for a couple more months.

The extra patrols are funded through a $1 million grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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