Tri-County News

Excessive speeds continue to plague Minnesota roadways


Minnesota roadways have quickly shifted from driving lanes to racing lanes as drivers across the state have been using the posted speed limit signs as a mere suggestion.

And that is a major cause for concern among those in the traffic safety field.

Preliminary numbers from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety show 395 Minnesotans were killed on Minnesota roadways in 2020. Of those, 120 deaths were speed-related, the most since 2008.

That’s why Stearns and Benton County, along with law enforcement across the state, are cracking down on drivers with an education and enforcement campaign aimed at motorists who are traveling at dangerous speeds.

The campaign is a coordinated effort among the Minnesota departments of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety (DPS-OTS), Health, and Transportation. The three state agencies are the anchoring partners of the Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) coalition that works to reduce traffic crashes, injuries, and deaths on Minnesota roads.

If you are speeding, expect to be stopped.

“We rely on each other to keep our neighbors safe,” said Sgt. Jesse Grabow of the Minnesota State Patrol. “Speeding throughout our communities and region is a dangerous game that risks the lives of everyone you care about. Speeding might seem harmless and the easiest way to get to a destination quickly. But the next time you speed, remember, crashing your car could lead to losing the ones you love most and change countless lives forever.”

2021 proving just as dangerous

Preliminary reports show 74 people died on Minnesota roads this year with at least 31 related to speed as of March 29. The 31 speed-related deaths compare with 13 this time last year.

That’s 42 percent of all traffic fatalities in Minnesota directly attributed to speeding.

“This is not a Twin Cities or a Greater Minnesota issue, it’s everywhere,” said Mike Hanson, director of the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety. “From Grand Marais to Luverne, we’re seeing increased speeds and it puts everyone on the road in danger.”

Frightening speeds lead to increased citations

The Minnesota State Patrol saw an alarming increase in the number of drivers going 100 mph or more in 2020.

• Troopers wrote 1,068 citations to drivers in 2020 traveling more than 100 mph, compared to 533 in 2019, a 100 percent increase.

• The top speed was 153 mph for a citation written in October 2020.

• Stearns County cited 38 drivers for traveling 90 mph or more and nine for 100 mph or more last year.

So far, the lead-foot mentality has not let up in 2021. As of March 25, 201 tickets were written by the State Patrol to drivers traveling in excess of 100 mph. That’s a 78 percent increase in the number of 100 mph tickets written compared to this time last year. This does not include numbers from county and local law enforcement agencies.

It is continued traffic safety issues, like speeding, that have led traffic safety leaders behind the Toward Zero Deaths Stearns and Benton Counties safe roads coalition to start “Project 15: This is You” crash reduction project.

“Public safety partners working alone can make progress in improving safety on a particular road,” said Benton County Sheriff Troy Heck. “However, when public safety and the community come together and work cooperatively at improving safety, much more can be accomplished. It is a powerful and impactful moment when you have individuals, families, businesses, and community groups all joining with public safety and saying that dangerous behavior will not be tolerated on our roads. Through this partnership lives are saved, injuries are avoided, and crashes are reduced.”

Launched Sept. 1, 2020, -“Project 15: This is You” is a campaign designed to promote traffic safety along Highway 15 from the intersection at U.S. 10 in Benton County to the southern Stearns County border south of Kimball. Through the primary use of education and enforcement, the -Stearns and Benton TZD coalition hopes to reduce serious injuries and fatalities on this and all roadways across the two counties.

About Toward Zero Deaths

The Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) effort was created in 2003 as a way to employ an interdisciplinary approach to reducing traffic crashes, injuries, and deaths on Minnesota roads. TZD is based on the belief that even one traffic-
related death on our roads is unacceptable. TZD targets areas for improvement and employs proven countermeasures, integrating application of education, enforcement, engineering, and emergency medical and trauma services.

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