Minnesota traffic deaths on the decline, but there’s still work to do, officials say

Traffic deaths in Minnesota are way down this year, which should be cause for celebration.

But forgive Mike Hanson if he’s not over the moon that as of Wednesday 79 fewer people have died in crashes this year compared to the same date last year.

“That is an incredible accomplishment, but I don’t call that good news,” said Hanson, director of the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety. “It’s a trend moving in the right direction.”

Minnesota has seen more than 400 traffic fatalities in each of the past four years, including 477 last year. There have been 308 so far this year, giving the state a chance to record fewer than 400 deaths for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic kept many people off the roads.

For two days this week, more than 900 traffic safety professionals from across the state gathered in Prior Lake for a conference to discuss best practices and identify ways to drive traffic deaths down.

Topics included everything from using traffic safety cameras, crash reports to identify high-risk areas, reducing risky driving and the importance of cannabis and DWI enforcement.

“We need to get below 400, then 300, then below 1,” Hanson said while attending the Toward Zero Deaths conference. “Then we can claim mission accomplished.”

Hanson attributes the turnaround this year to three factors. First, motorists in Minnesota are buckling up more than ever. This year’s observational seat belt survey found 95.2% of vehicle occupants are wearing seat belts. That marks an all-time high since the survey began more than 15 years ago.

“Powerful,” Hanson said of the statistic, noting unrestrained occupants have dropped dramatically this year and are one of the four leading causes of death in traffic crashes.

In 2023, the state Legislature appropriated funds for traffic safety initiatives to address infrastructure and driver behavior. Cities and counties were allowed to apply for grants to carry out programs.

One of the most successful has been along Hwy. 7 in the west metro, Hanson said. Several agencies came together as the Highway 7 Road Safety Coalition to use $450,000 to prioritize traffic enforcement. That included using an AI camera to detect motorists who are driving while holding their phones. Officers have also conducted details to crack down on speeding and impaired driving.

Other agencies have used money to dedicate officers to stop impaired driving and step up traffic enforcement.

“SPPD continues to focus on traffic safety as an agency, specifically targeting the most deadly and unsafe driving conduct,” Muehlhausen said. “We’re committed to continuing these efforts until we reach the goal of zero deaths.”

Statewide crackdowns on speeding and impaired driving have also helped bring fatality numbers down, Hanson said. From early May through Labor Day, law enforcement in Minnesota issued 46,624 speeding citations. They made 1,357 DWI arrests between Aug. 15 and Sept. 1, DPS data showed.

“Speeding is in every driver’s control every minute they are behind the wheel,” Hanson said. “It makes any mistake worse, and the energy leads to injury and death.”

Speeding was a factor in 60 deaths this year, according to DPS data available through August.

As this week’s traffic safety conference wraps up, Hanson said there is one goal in the push to reduce fatalities.