Traffic deaths pass 200 for 2014 so far
The number of Minnesotans who died in traffic accidents this year has passed 200, a slightly lower number than last year at this time.
Lt. Eric Roeske of the Minnesota State Patrol said drunk driving has been a factor in one in five of those fatal accidents.
"We're out there looking to get impaired drivers off the road," Roeske said. "There's a lot of options out there to avoid a drunk driving arrest or an alcohol-related crash, and we just ask people to think about that and make plans ahead of time as the summer comes to a close."
More than 25,000 people were arrested in Minnesota for driving while drunk last year. Roeske said law enforcement agencies across the state will be stepping up DWI enforcement from now until Labor Day.
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Other factors involved in the fatal accidents were driver distraction, failure to wear a seat belt and speeding. During a nine-day campaign to crack down on people texting while driving in April, police cited 827 people. They also issued 10,874 citations during a campaign from May 19 to June 1 to people who weren't wearing seat belts.
Roeske said there's typically a spike in the number of crashes during the summer.
"We certainly want people to make good decisions as summer comes to an end," Roeske said. "Think about what's happened so far this year and how they can make some wise choices to avoid being another one of these statistics."
Already this year, 204 people have died in accidents, including 31 motorcyclists. That's 16 fewer deaths overall than last year at this time. The number of motorcycle deaths so far this year is lower than 2013.