Dangerous driving habits linger after lock-down affecting safety on Minnesota roads
The scene of a fatality car crash, June 2, 2021, in Tulsa, Okla.
Tanner Laws | Tulsa World via AP, File
Triple A estimates nearly 48 million people will travel someplace for the holiday. If you're driving, be careful. There are rising numbers of traffic fatalities in Minnesota. As of May 24, there have been 124 traffic fatalities in the state.
Last year more people died on Minnesota roads than in any of the past 15 years. Mike Hanson, director of the Office of Traffic Safety, says driving habits during the pandemic became dangerous and it's tough to put that genie back in the bottle. He spoke with host Cathy Wurzer about what his office is trying to do to help.
View a transcript of the conversation below.
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Audio transcript
INTERVIEWER: There are some people already starting the long 4th of July holiday pointing the car north to the cabin, perhaps. Despite sky high gas prices, AAA estimates that nearly 48 million people will travel someplace for the holiday. If you're driving, be careful.
There are rising numbers of traffic fatalities in Minnesota. As of May 24, there have been 124 traffic fatalities in the state. Last year, more people died on Minnesota roads than in any of the past 15 years. Mike Hanson is here to break down the data with us. He's the director for the Office of Traffic Safety with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Director, welcome. How are you doing?
MIKE HANSON: I'm doing great, Kathy. And thanks so much for taking a few minutes to visit with me today.
INTERVIEWER: Well, it's great to have you on the air here. The figures, though, are pretty sobering. 501 people died in traffic crashes last year, and that was in line with this larger national trend. What is going on?
MIKE HANSON: Well, Kathy, I mean, to describe 2021 in terms of traffic safety for Minnesota, and for our country as a whole, horrific is the only word that I can come up with that comes close. And yeah, we are seeing this not only in Minnesota, but across the country with the increases in the high risk driving behaviors. And there is one cause, really, that above everything else is leading that increase in the fatalities that we've seen, and that is speed, and excessive speed at that, and really excessive speed, in many cases.
INTERVIEWER: I have to be honest with you, I do have a bit of a lead foot. However, I will say, those who are passing me, wow. I mean, I'm just surprised. It's almost like you're left in the dust. What do you think is going on when it comes to the increases in speeding and some of this riskier behavior on the road?
MIKE HANSON: Well, I think that there's a lot of things at work here, Kathy. And it's really-- there's a lot of people who are a lot smarter than me that will study this for years to try and identify it. But really, the roots of this go back to early-2020 and, really, is tied kind of to the onset of the pandemic.
And as everything started to shut down, and as people started to work from home, and travel became limited, our roads became less congested. But people also felt a sense of frustration in not being able to go anywhere. And unfortunately, this was manifested in the significant, almost immediate, increase in the really aggressive driving that was taking place on Minnesota roads-- less congestion, more lane space to use and abuse.
And a certain segment of the population really took advantage of and abused that. Unfortunately, as we came out of the pandemic, and as we continue to come out of the pandemic, our traffic levels are back to pre-pandemic levels. But the behaviors and the habits that some drivers got into during that lull in the traffic have continued, and in some cases have even increased. And that is the real genie that we need to figure out how to put back in the bottle.
INTERVIEWER: How's it going when it comes to the state patrol doing their heat-- I don't know what to call it-- their heat project where they go out on various roads and they saturate that road for speeding and other infractions? Is that working?
MIKE HANSON: Certainly. And that is the bit of good news I can share with you, Kathy. As bad as 2021 was, we're off to a-- I'm not going to say a good start, I'm going to say we are improving in 2022. We're about 40 fatalities behind where we were at the same time last year.
But we are still well above that five-year trend and well above what we saw in 2020, and even 2019. So we have a lot of work to do. But working with our enforcement partners at the State Patrol through the HEAT program, through their Project 2022 program, and some of the other initiatives that Colonel Langer has initiated with the state patrol-- and working through our office and with over 300 other law enforcement agencies across the state, we are really concentrating on trying to take back Minnesota roads for the safe users, because that's really where we're at right now.
Those who are abusing our roads are putting every one of us in danger. And there's no reason somebody should be afraid to get in the car to make that trip up to the cabin this weekend. But certain drivers are making that a reality for many Minnesotans.
I visited with a young lady not too long ago who shared with me that she was afraid on her afternoon commute to go from her workplace to her home because of what she sees each and every day. And that should not be what happens on our roads. We need to remember as drivers, everybody out there is somebody's mom, dad, brother, sister, coworker, somebody's kids. And our transportation system relies on cooperation, and, really, being nice to each other out there, and not treating that as your personal playground.
INTERVIEWER: So I want to-- I don't want to leave this unsaid. We've been talking about, of course, folks behind the wheel-- but there are a lot of urban crashes, pedestrian fatalities, which I know are also seeing big increases. And I also understand your office has been holding planning workshops around the state.
You had one in Duluth recently. What are some solutions being talked about, not only when it comes to speeding and what's happening on highways, but also just crosswalks, and pedestrian fatalities, and motorcycle fatalities?
MIKE HANSON: You're right. The vulnerable road user population, and that's our pedestrians, our bicyclists, our motorcyclists, or anybody who's using something other than a car to get from point A to point B-- and we are seeing significant increases in their involvement in the fatality crashes. And let me just put it this way, Kathy-- when it comes to pedestrians, people think that five miles an hour over the limit doesn't make a difference.
Let me put it this way-- at 20 miles an hour, if a car hits a pedestrian, 9 times out of 10 that pedestrian may be hurt but they'll probably live. At 25 miles an hour, that pedestrian gets hit, roughly half the time they will live and half the time they will not.
At 30 miles an hour, 8 to 9 times out of 10 that pedestrian will be killed as a result of that collision. So even a little bit over that limit makes a big difference. And we are working hard through our messaging, and through working with our enforcement partners, and working with our engineering partners towards Zero Deaths Initiative across the state to really change the way we look at how we drive and how we interact on our roads.
INTERVIEWER: We have about a minute left. What does that look like when it comes to reality? What is something that I might see, say, in Duluth?
MIKE HANSON: Well, you're going to see an increased enforcement presence across the state, not only this weekend into the 4th of July week, and then really through the rest of the summer. We're working with our enforcement partners to increase the visibility and get people to really focus on that driving task. You're also going to hear some strong messaging coming out from our office and through the TZD Program and through our other partners as well. And we're working very hard on the local level with our safe roads coalitions to really change attitudes on the local level, which is where, really, our key successes will come from.
INTERVIEWER: All right. I appreciate your time, Mike Hanson. Thank you so much.
MIKE HANSON: Kathy, thank you so much. And I wish everybody a safe weekend and safe travels. Let's have a fatality-free 4th this year. That would be really great.
INTERVIEWER: That would be great. Thank you. Mike Hanson is the Director of the Office of Traffic Safety with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
There are rising numbers of traffic fatalities in Minnesota. As of May 24, there have been 124 traffic fatalities in the state. Last year, more people died on Minnesota roads than in any of the past 15 years. Mike Hanson is here to break down the data with us. He's the director for the Office of Traffic Safety with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Director, welcome. How are you doing?
MIKE HANSON: I'm doing great, Kathy. And thanks so much for taking a few minutes to visit with me today.
INTERVIEWER: Well, it's great to have you on the air here. The figures, though, are pretty sobering. 501 people died in traffic crashes last year, and that was in line with this larger national trend. What is going on?
MIKE HANSON: Well, Kathy, I mean, to describe 2021 in terms of traffic safety for Minnesota, and for our country as a whole, horrific is the only word that I can come up with that comes close. And yeah, we are seeing this not only in Minnesota, but across the country with the increases in the high risk driving behaviors. And there is one cause, really, that above everything else is leading that increase in the fatalities that we've seen, and that is speed, and excessive speed at that, and really excessive speed, in many cases.
INTERVIEWER: I have to be honest with you, I do have a bit of a lead foot. However, I will say, those who are passing me, wow. I mean, I'm just surprised. It's almost like you're left in the dust. What do you think is going on when it comes to the increases in speeding and some of this riskier behavior on the road?
MIKE HANSON: Well, I think that there's a lot of things at work here, Kathy. And it's really-- there's a lot of people who are a lot smarter than me that will study this for years to try and identify it. But really, the roots of this go back to early-2020 and, really, is tied kind of to the onset of the pandemic.
And as everything started to shut down, and as people started to work from home, and travel became limited, our roads became less congested. But people also felt a sense of frustration in not being able to go anywhere. And unfortunately, this was manifested in the significant, almost immediate, increase in the really aggressive driving that was taking place on Minnesota roads-- less congestion, more lane space to use and abuse.
And a certain segment of the population really took advantage of and abused that. Unfortunately, as we came out of the pandemic, and as we continue to come out of the pandemic, our traffic levels are back to pre-pandemic levels. But the behaviors and the habits that some drivers got into during that lull in the traffic have continued, and in some cases have even increased. And that is the real genie that we need to figure out how to put back in the bottle.
INTERVIEWER: How's it going when it comes to the state patrol doing their heat-- I don't know what to call it-- their heat project where they go out on various roads and they saturate that road for speeding and other infractions? Is that working?
MIKE HANSON: Certainly. And that is the bit of good news I can share with you, Kathy. As bad as 2021 was, we're off to a-- I'm not going to say a good start, I'm going to say we are improving in 2022. We're about 40 fatalities behind where we were at the same time last year.
But we are still well above that five-year trend and well above what we saw in 2020, and even 2019. So we have a lot of work to do. But working with our enforcement partners at the State Patrol through the HEAT program, through their Project 2022 program, and some of the other initiatives that Colonel Langer has initiated with the state patrol-- and working through our office and with over 300 other law enforcement agencies across the state, we are really concentrating on trying to take back Minnesota roads for the safe users, because that's really where we're at right now.
Those who are abusing our roads are putting every one of us in danger. And there's no reason somebody should be afraid to get in the car to make that trip up to the cabin this weekend. But certain drivers are making that a reality for many Minnesotans.
I visited with a young lady not too long ago who shared with me that she was afraid on her afternoon commute to go from her workplace to her home because of what she sees each and every day. And that should not be what happens on our roads. We need to remember as drivers, everybody out there is somebody's mom, dad, brother, sister, coworker, somebody's kids. And our transportation system relies on cooperation, and, really, being nice to each other out there, and not treating that as your personal playground.
INTERVIEWER: So I want to-- I don't want to leave this unsaid. We've been talking about, of course, folks behind the wheel-- but there are a lot of urban crashes, pedestrian fatalities, which I know are also seeing big increases. And I also understand your office has been holding planning workshops around the state.
You had one in Duluth recently. What are some solutions being talked about, not only when it comes to speeding and what's happening on highways, but also just crosswalks, and pedestrian fatalities, and motorcycle fatalities?
MIKE HANSON: You're right. The vulnerable road user population, and that's our pedestrians, our bicyclists, our motorcyclists, or anybody who's using something other than a car to get from point A to point B-- and we are seeing significant increases in their involvement in the fatality crashes. And let me just put it this way, Kathy-- when it comes to pedestrians, people think that five miles an hour over the limit doesn't make a difference.
Let me put it this way-- at 20 miles an hour, if a car hits a pedestrian, 9 times out of 10 that pedestrian may be hurt but they'll probably live. At 25 miles an hour, that pedestrian gets hit, roughly half the time they will live and half the time they will not.
At 30 miles an hour, 8 to 9 times out of 10 that pedestrian will be killed as a result of that collision. So even a little bit over that limit makes a big difference. And we are working hard through our messaging, and through working with our enforcement partners, and working with our engineering partners towards Zero Deaths Initiative across the state to really change the way we look at how we drive and how we interact on our roads.
INTERVIEWER: We have about a minute left. What does that look like when it comes to reality? What is something that I might see, say, in Duluth?
MIKE HANSON: Well, you're going to see an increased enforcement presence across the state, not only this weekend into the 4th of July week, and then really through the rest of the summer. We're working with our enforcement partners to increase the visibility and get people to really focus on that driving task. You're also going to hear some strong messaging coming out from our office and through the TZD Program and through our other partners as well. And we're working very hard on the local level with our safe roads coalitions to really change attitudes on the local level, which is where, really, our key successes will come from.
INTERVIEWER: All right. I appreciate your time, Mike Hanson. Thank you so much.
MIKE HANSON: Kathy, thank you so much. And I wish everybody a safe weekend and safe travels. Let's have a fatality-free 4th this year. That would be really great.
INTERVIEWER: That would be great. Thank you. Mike Hanson is the Director of the Office of Traffic Safety with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
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