DPS: Drive smart and take driving seriously in 2021

According to data from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, 2020 has proven to be a challenging year on state roadways.
Preliminary reports show there were 394 traffic deaths on Minnesota roads in 2020, compared with 364 in 2019. Of the 2020 fatalities:
•64 were motorcyclists, compared with 44 in 2019.
•10 were bicyclists, compared with 10 in 2019.
•45 were pedestrians, compared with 50 in 2019.
•284 were males (72 percent) and 110 were females (28 percent).
 
Recent fatalities include:
•A 49-year-old male passenger died in St. Paul when the driver ran off the city street while speeding and hit a tree. Alcohol is suspected in the crash.
•A 33-year-old man was killed in Benton County. The man left his car after crashing into a row of trees. He walked across the divided highway and was hit by a vehicle. The pedestrian is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol.
•A 42-year-old man driving on a snow and ice covered interstate in Blue Earth County died when his vehicle left the roadway and rolled multiple times. The driver was not wearing a seat belt.
 
Preventable deaths
Preliminary numbers show that of the 394 deaths in 2020:
•At least 30 are known to be distraction-related, compared with 27 in 2019.
•118 were speed-related, compared with 72 in 2019.
•At least 109 were alcohol-related, compared with 111 in 2019.
•102 were not wearing their seat belts, compared with 73 in 2019.
 
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 501 more citations to drivers in 2020 traveling more than 100 mph than they did in 2019. That’s a 94-percent increase.
The top speed was 153 mph for a citation written in October of 2020.
 
Drive smart and save lives
If you are with a driver who is distracted, speak up. Tell them to put the phone down and offer to be their designated texter.
Refuse to drive until every passenger is buckled up.
Slow down. Speed makes even a small mistake worse. Trying to save a few minutes off your drive isn’t worth causing a crash.
Plan ahead before you go out by designating a sober driver, and if you see a person who has had too much to drink, speak up and find them a safe ride home.