Speed-related crashes, deaths are a mounting problem in Minnesota
There were at least 14 speeding tickets issued to Minnesota motorists who were buzzing down a roadway at a speed of at least 110 mph during a statewide crackdown in February and March.
According to the Department of Public Safety (DPS), authorities gave out 23,052 speeding tickets in the two-month crackdown, including 14 for particularly dangerous speeds. The 14 fastest and where the area where they occurred:
- 135 mph - Rochester
- 128 mph - Mankato
- 127 mph - Oakdale
- 120 mph - Maple Grove
- 120 mph - Detroit Lakes
- 117 mph - Golden Valley
- 116 mph - Madelia
- 116 mph - Anoka County
- 114 mph - Lino Lakes
- 113 mph - Nicollet County
- 112 mph - Granite Falls
- 112 mph - Martin County
- 111 mph - Marshall
- 110 mph - Brainerd
For the year, law enforcement have cited 241 motorists for going 100 mph or more compared with 168 at the same point last year.
The DPS says at least 35 of 84 road deaths in 2021 have been speed-related crashes. That's ahead of last year's pace when there were 120 speed-related deaths on Minnesota roads, the most since 125 people died in speed-related crashes in 2008.
Two 22-year-olds, a boyfriend and girlfriend, were killed in a speed-related crash on County Road 42 in Burnsville on Easter Sunday. The DPS said two motorists were racing in the eastbound lanes when they struck the SUV the young couple was traveling in.
