A Duluth man is critically injured after speeding and crashing his car early Sunday morning.

The accident happened at about 4:47 a.m. on the 6400 block of Rice Lake Road in Gnesen Township, the St. Louis Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

When deputies arrived at the scene, they found a single vehicle had sped off the right side of the road and tumbled over 100 yards through the ditch and woods.

The 30-year-old male driver, who was the only person in the car, had been ejected and was lying about 10 yards from the vehicle.

He survived the crash, but had life threatening injures, the release says. He was air lifted to St. Mary's Essentia in Duluth; authorities will not release his identity until his family is notified.

The sheriff's office says high speed was the major contributing factor in this accident, which is still under investigation.

Speeding doesn't pay

The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office says excessive speeding has been a problem in the area lately, and over the last week, deputies have caught several drivers going 100 mph or more.

"The Sheriff's Office would like to remind the public that at these speeds serious injury or death are greatly increased should the vehicle be involved in an accident. Furthermore, the Sheriff's Office would like to remind the public to always wear your seatbelt," the release says.

Law enforcement across the state are cracking down on speeding from now until July 23. The campaign aims to help motorists understand that speeding can be the difference between life and death, the Department of Public Safety says.

The more you speed, the longer it will take for you to stop. The department says braking distance quadruples when speeds double.

In 2016, 92 people died on Minnesota roads in speed-related crashes, DPS said. Speed-related fatalities increased by 18 percent last year compared with 2015.

Speeding has contributed to 21 percent of all fatal crashes over the past five years, from 2012 to 2016.