MNDPS: Too many people driving at dangerous speeds

Brandon Marshall

[MGN | U.S. Air Force]

(ABC 6 News) – In July, officers, deputies, and troopers across Minnesota participated in a statewide extra enforcement and awareness campaign coordinated by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety.

Law enforcement from 300 agencies across the state cited 18,983 drivers for speed violations from July 1-31.

Dangerous Speeds

During the campaign, 37 agencies reported speeds of 100 mph or more. Those speeds included:

140 mph – Cambridge Police Department
130 mph – Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office
128 mph – Minnetonka Police Department
128 mph – Minnesota State Patrol District 2700 (Duluth)
127 mph – Shakopee Police Department

Agencies With the Highest Number of Citations (outside of the Twin Cities metro)

196 Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office
195 Wright County Sheriff’s Office
188 Isanti County Sheriff’s Office
134 Motley Police Department
131 Elk River Police Department

Minnesota State Patrol

1,353 MN State Patrol – District 2100 (Rochester)
1,309 MN State Patrol – District 2500 (Golden Valley)
1,141 MN State Patrol – District 2400 (Oakdale)
1,092 MN State Patrol – District 2700 (Duluth)
1,058 MN State Patrol – District 2600 (St. Cloud)

Traffic Fatalities

Preliminary numbers show 224 fatalities on Minnesota roads in 2022 compared with 253 this time last year (as of July 31).
In 2021, 166 motorists died in speed-related crashes (preliminary), the most since 2003 (195).
During the 100 deadliest days in the past five years (2017-2021), preliminary numbers show that 196 people lost their lives in speed-related crashes.
Speed contributed to an average of 113 deaths per year from 2017-2021.

Speeding Citations

State Patrol troopers have cited 52,889 drivers for speeding through Aug. 1, compared with 52,397 tickets written at this time last year. So far this year, troopers have cited 715 motorists for driving 100 mph or more compared with 754 last year.

A Costly Choice

The cost of a speeding violation will vary by county, but it will typically cost a driver more than $110 with court fees for traveling 10 mph over the limit. Fines double for those speeding 20 mph over the limit and drivers can lose their license for six months for going 100 mph or more.