Excessive speeding on Minnesota's roadways is still creating dangerous situations according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
As of Thursday, 61 of the 150 fatal car crashes this year in the state had been caused by drivers choosing to go too fast. That's compared to 31 fatalities related to speed at the same time last year.
"When I use the word terrifying, I'm not overdramatizing it," said Mike Hanson, the Office of Traffic Safety Director. "If these trends continue, there are going to be a lot of families who aren't going on vacation because they're going to be going to funerals. It will either be someone they know, someone they love, or it could be their own funeral."
Hanson said on Friday that law enforcement have continued to amp-up their patrol efforts this year, especially with a busy summer for traveling ahead. The extra patrols come on the heels of a deadly 2020 where speed-related deaths (122) were the most since 2008 (125).
"On top of more people getting back on the road as more things open up, a small number of people have developed really bad driving habits," Hanson added. "We're looking at really challenging and dangerous situation. What I really hope is that it's not a tragic situation."
The Minnesota State Patrol has cited 29,192 motorists for speeding in 2021 with 382 tickets written for speeds of 100 mph or more