ST. PAUL — The pandemic has reduced traffic, which has led to more speeding incidents on the open roads in Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety is coordinating a campaign to reduce speeding infractions and accidents.
Officers, deputies and troopers will participate by working overtime shifts June 22 to July 19, according to a news release.
"Now with more vehicles on the road, going the speed limit and slowing down are critical to us all coming home to our loved ones at the end of the day,” said Office of Traffic Safety director Mike Hanson in the release.
Data show an upward trend in excessive speeding, with a 149 percent increase in April and May of this year of drivers traveling over 100 miles per hour compared to the same period last year, according to the department.
There have been more overall fatal crashes from March 16 to May 31 this year compared to last. Speed often contributes to crashes, shown in state figures as a contributor in 26 percent of single-vehicle crashes last year.
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Consequences for speeding can be citations of more than $100 plus court fees, a crash with criminal or civil penalties, and increased insurance costs.
