Minnesota pedestrian deaths reached 25-year high in 2016

Drivers hit and killed more pedestrians in Minnesota last year than any other year in the past quarter century, according to a preliminary total released Tuesday.

The Department of Public Safety said 60 pedestrians died on Minnesota roads in 2016, 19 more than the previous year. The last time that many pedestrians died was in 1991, when the figure reached 61.

Determining the cause of the spike is challenging, but state officials noted this fall that distracted driving crashes appeared to be on the rise. Police in some cities, like St. Paul, have stepped up enforcement of traffic laws to try to protect pedestrians.

http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-pedestrian-deaths-reached-25-year-high-in-2016/409605585/