Crackdown catches triple-digit speeders

A statewide crackdown on speeders last month caught more than 20 motorists doing more than 100 mph, and one going more than 135 mph.

Twenty-one tickets issued for triple-digit speeds and 72 to motorists who sped at more than 90 mph. The top speed was reported for a fleeing driver who crashed near Benson, Minn.

State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske said the state hasn't publicly highlighted speed enforcement before, but wants to focus more on the problem.

"We target the things that we see getting people killed: drunk driving, seat belt use, and in this case, speeding," Roeske said. "Sadly, we see speed involved in a great number of our fatal crashes, and some of those speeders we caught in the month of July are the type of people that put others and themselves in these deadly situations."

Most of the top speeds were reported in greater Minnesota, although Fridley police reported citing a motorist for doing 110 mph in that Twin Cities suburb.

Speeding over 100 miles per hour carries a punishment of the revocation of one's driver's license for six months.