July speeding enforcement campaign hands out more that 20,000 speeding tickets

By WDIO
A picture of two Duluth Police cars

Law enforcement partners have been working to raise awareness about the dangers of speeding on Minnesota roads. Speeding is a major contributing factor to fatal and life-changing crashes. That’s why for the month of July, police and state patrol officers enforced harsher punishments against speeders.

291 agencies from across the state cited 20,658 drivers for speed violations in the month of July. Officers, deputies and troopers participated in the statewide extra enforcement and awareness campaign coordinated by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety with funding provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The agency with the highest number of citations in the metro was the St. Paul Police Department with 770 citations. In greater Minnesota, Elk River Police Department had the most with 430 citations. For the Minnesota State Patrol, the greatest offenders were in District 2600 (St. Cloud) with 1,719 citations. The Duluth State Patrol gave out 1,102 citations.

Some examples of traffic stops law enforcement encountered during the month-long campaign include:

  • Wadena police cited a father and son for racing each other. They were going 72 mph in a 45 mph zone.
  • The Chisago County Sheriff’s Office cited a driver who only had an instruction permit for going 97 mph in a 70 mph zone.
  • Eden Prairie police arrested 14 drivers for DWI after being stopped for speeding. Of those, one was going 101 mph and another was going 98 mph. Officers also stopped a driver for 152 mph. That driver was arrested for fleeing police and reckless driving, and their vehicle was forfeited. 

Preliminary numbers show speed has contributed to 63 deaths on Minnesota roads this year compared with 79 at this time last year (as of July 30).

Law enforcement has some reasons on why it is a good idea to reduce speed and give room to other drivers on the road. It helps the driver to have more control of their vehicle, they are able to respond faster, and the severity of a crash will decrease when going at a safe speed.

For more resources, head to DriveSmartMN.org