As traffic fatalities jump in Minnesota, officials tap employers for help

As deaths on roads mount, employers enlisted in bid to help curb bad driving

Oct 20, 20210

Star Tribune count

"Troopers have never seen driving behavior this poor," said Col. Matt Langer, head of the State Patrol, shown in January.

Public safety officials alarmed by the dramatic rise in fatal motor vehicle crashes in Minnesota are turning to employers for help in spreading the word about the need for safe driving.

The tactic comes as Minnesota closes in on 400 traffic deaths for the year and is on pace to record its most traffic fatalities since 2007. It also comes as law enforcement has seen a huge uptick in speeding and other risky driving behaviors that coincided with the onset of the pandemic.

Roads have changed in a "tragic and horrific way," said Mike Hanson, director of the Office of Traffic Safety, leading traffic safety officials to augment traditional enforcement campaigns by leaning on employers to help curb dangerous driving.

https://www.startribune.com/as-traffic-fatalities-jump-in-minnesota-officials-tap-employers-for-help/600108147/