Sad stat: 100 Minnesota traffic deaths already in 2016
Minnesota's traffic-related deaths this year are on pace to match or exceed last year's five-year high and four behaviors behind the wheel continue to drive the grim data, state officials said Thursday.
Since Jan. 1, 100 people have died in Minnesota traffic accidents, according to preliminary information from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
Recent deaths include a 35-year-old Hastings man riding a motorcycle where alcohol was detected and the rider was not wearing a helmet, and a 14-year-old Hillman teen who was riding a dirt bike and rear-ended a tractor, the department said.
Of the 100 fatalities reported to date, there were six motorcyclists, 12 pedestrians and one bicyclist.
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The state reached 100 deaths on April 29 last year, which suggests that Minnesota may reach or exceed the 411 traffic deaths in 2015 — the first time in five years that road fatalities passed the 400 mark.
Public safety officials said four driving behaviors continue to play a significant role in deadly road accidents. In 2015:
• Drunk driving resulted in 95 deaths
• Lack of seat belt contributed to 91 deaths
• Speed contributed to 78 deaths
• Distracted driving contributed to 74 deaths
Officials urged Minnesotans to recommit themselves to safe driving habits.
"How many times have you looked down at your phone, went too fast because you were late for an appointment, told yourself you were okay to drive because you only had a few beers or decided not to buckle up because you weren't going that far," Donna Berger, director of Minnesota's Office of Traffic Safety, said in a statement. "Now ask yourself, is doing any of that worth dying for and leaving your loved ones with a lifetime of grief?