Latest news with #OfficeofTrafficSafety
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
EDITORIAL: Save your life; buckle up
May 20—You never know what will happen when you hop in your car and go for a drive. Whether you're driving across town to the grocery store, going shopping in the Twin Cities or venturing out on a cross country trip, there's a risk every single time you get into a vehicle. As confident as you may be in your own driving, you cannot predict what may happen around you — whether that's other drivers, deer and the list goes on and on. For that reason and others, law enforcement officers across the state over the next few weeks are promoting all vehicle occupants to buckle their seat belts. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Office of Traffic Safety is coordinating a Click It or Ticket enforcement campaign from May 19 through June 1. During that time, officers, deputies and troopers will spend extra time trying to prevent unsafe seat belt and car seat decisions from risking lives. The effort is thanks to funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. According to the Department of Public Safety, nearly 95% of Minnesotans wear their seat belts, but unbelted riders and drivers make up more than 20% of all traffic fatalities. The state agency states out of the 476 traffic fatalities in 2024, 106 were not wearing a seat belt. From 2019 to 2024, only 68 percent of children ages 0 to 9 who were involved in a car crash were known to be properly secured. Of the children who were properly secured, 87% were not injured and 12.6% sustained only minor injuries, the department states. We encourage all who drive or ride in vehicles to remember these statistics next time you get out on the road. It truly could be the difference between life and death — or serious injury. Remember, seat belts should never be tucked under the arm or behind the back and should be tight and across the hips or thighs. Children must be in a booster seat until they are 9 or have outgrown the booster seat and pass a five-step test. Children under 13 must also sit in the back seat if possible. If you haven't been wearing your seat belts, we hope you will use these next few weeks as an opportunity to get back into the swing of doing so. It can save your life.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
St. Paul Police Department cites most distracted drivers — by a long shot — in state campaign
When you are driving, it only takes one second of taking your eyes off the road and glancing at your phone for a tragedy to happen, law enforcement officials said on the heels of a distracted driving campaign in Minnesota. 'Everybody thinks it will just take a second to look at their phone and it's no big deal and they've done it a hundred times and nothing bad has happened — but we have seen crashes that happen in an instant and not only alters the drivers life but the lives of everyone around them,' said St. Paul Police Cmdr. Jeremy Ellison. After law enforcement agencies across the state joined together in April to target distracted drivers, more than 6,000 citations were given, according to the state Department of Public Safety's Office of Traffic Safety. The St. Paul Police Department gave out 1,326 of those, far more than the agency with the next highest number, the Minnesota State Patrol's west metro district, which gave out 329. 'We are not out to write tickets, we're out to save lives. But if drivers won't take safety seriously, enforcement becomes necessary.' said Mike Hanson, director of the Office of Traffic Safety. 'Every time you take your eyes off the road, you're gambling with your life and the lives of others around you. No text, no call is worth a tragedy.' In St. Paul, the police department worked to let the public know they were targeting distracted driving by posting videos on their Facebook page to alert the community about their efforts and by discussing the campaign at regularly scheduled community meetings, Ellison said. During the campaign, St. Paul police placed spotters on the sides of roads looking for drivers using cell phones. When they spotted a distracted driver, they notified officers in squad cars, who pulled the drivers over. The department also used a special vehicle from the state, a pickup that has cameras on the sides to capture video evidence of drivers using their cell phones, Ellison said. During the campaign, one driver was stopped twice in 10 minutes for a hands-free cell phone violation. The 32-year-old man was stopped on April 22 at Seventh Street and Bates Avenue and then seven minutes later cited again at Seventh Street and Payne Avenue, about a mile down the road, Ellison said. In another instance, while traffic was stopped from congestion, the driver in a vehicle next to a St. Paul law enforcement officer was using her phone. The officer turned on his squad car lights and approached the driver who was still intently looking at her phone. She was startled to see the officer near her and was cited for the hands-free cell phone law. In March, a 17-year-old was driving down Shepard Road in St. Paul when her phone dinged and she looked down. 'In that instant, a pedestrian stepped into the roadway,' Ellison said. 'Thankfully it was not a fatality but it had a big impact on her and the pedestrian. She felt terrible that it happened. That's an example of everything seems to be fine and in an instant you look down and things change and tragedy strikes.' In 2024, at least 29 fatalities and 137 serious injuries were attributed to distracted driving, state officials said. One in 11 crashes last year were due to distracted driving. 'It's 100 percent preventable,' Ellison said. 'Those text messages and changing the music or using GPS driving in hand, those are all things that can wait or should be done ahead of time before driving. We really need people to put their phones down.' 'Hands-free' means you can't hold you phone in your hand while driving. The law allows a driver to use a cell phone to make calls, text, listen to music or podcasts and get directions, but only by voice commands or single-touch activation without holding the phone. Accessing social media, streaming videos or Googling information on a device while driving are against the law in Minnesota, even in hands-free mode. Visit for more information about the law. States are telling sheriffs whether they can — or can't — work with ICE Ely team helps fight northern Minnesota wildfires from the sky Letters: Preventing landlords from screening tenants is a one-sided view of our housing problem St. Anthony: 3-year-old hospitalized with reported accidental gunshot wound to head Trooper accused of producing child porn faces new charges in federal indictment
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
Slow down and look up: Extra law enforcement on MN roads starting Thursday
Slow down, Minnesota, look up and buckle up. With the summer travel season approaching, authorities are hoping to put the brakes on speeding and other dangerous driving. Extra law enforcement will be out from Thursday, May 1 through Sept. 2, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Office of Traffic Safety announced on Wednesday. Officers, deputies and troopers from nearly 300 agencies statewide will be participating in the extra enforcement. Here's why: Memorial Day through Labor Day are typically the most traveled days on Minnesota roads and nationwide. 'These so-called '100 deadliest days' carry some of the largest fatal crash counts every year,' according to the DPS' news release. 'To push back against the rise in deadly driving and to try to save lives, law enforcement will be focusing on speeding, seat belt usage, impairment and distraction — the four behaviors that are the largest contributors to fatal crashes.' So far in Minnesota in 2025, there have been at least 15 speed-related fatalities, authorities report. A Minneapolis shooting that left 3 dead and 2 wounded may be gang related, police say Remains of woman missing since 2016 are found in St. Cloud area St. Paul Park Police chief is fourth department head in city to resign since January Charges: Man kills his mother, sexually assaults Burnsville woman the next day No criminal charges against South St. Paul city council member in daycare case
CBS News
01-04-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
AI cameras catch tens of thousands ahead of Distracted Driving Awareness Month
More than 140 people have died in crashes involving distracted drivers in Minnesota over the past five years. Tuesday marks the beginning of a month-long effort to crack down on distracted driving, starting with extra enforcement. "It's so much more of an issue than we even thought it was," South Lake Minnetonka police Sgt. Adam Moore said. Moore is referring to distracted driving, captured more than 10,000 times in February alone by AI cameras along Highway 7 in Shorewood. The volume of violations was so high, police were only able to stop 3% of those drivers, Moore said. "We've tried other things in the past. This technology that we have, has proven to be really the only effective tool that we've had," Moore said. In April, Minnesota's Office of Traffic Safety is funding 14 agencies across Minnesota so they can have unmarked vehicle cameras that can see inside cars, spotting drivers illegally using their phones. Richfield police have used the cameras for more than four years and said they are a great tool for catching distracted driving. "You can see right down into other people's vehicles and you can see them texting or doing whatever they are doing," Richfield police Sgt. Matt Steen said. Moore said they are doubling the number of officers watching the AI cameras for the month of April. "There's still thousands of hours of videos that you can watch when you get to your destination and you don't need to do it while you're driving your car," said Moore. "People have lost loved ones just from distracted driving and they're glad that we're doing something about it."
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Minnesota law enforcement tries roadside drug screening, like portable breath tests, on suspected impaired drivers
Similar to portable breath tests to detect if a driver has been drinking, Minnesota law enforcement has tried roadside tests to preliminarily screen for recent drug use and the chemicals that can impair drivers. It was part of a pilot program and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety recently gave its report to state legislators, recommending they approve the use and funding of the screening devices. 'This would expand the ability to stop drug-impaired driving' with the goal of safer roads for everyone, said Mike Hanson, director of DPS' Office of Traffic Safety, on Tuesday. The Cannabis Legalization Act passed by the legislature in 2023 included a plan for the Office of Traffic Safety to carry out a pilot program to study roadside screening tools for the presence of 'a controlled or intoxicating substance' in people stopped or arrested for driving while impaired offenses, according to the report to the legislature sent last week. There were 57 officers, who are certified as drug recognition evaluators, from 41 agencies who tested two instruments across Minnesota last year, evaluating them for ease of use, accuracy and practicality. The pilot program was voluntary for drivers who were pulled over for suspected impaired driving. Officers carried out standardized field sobriety tests and, if they arrested a driver, they asked if they'd take part in the pilot program to help evaluate the devices, Hanson said. The results were not used as probable cause for arrest, in prosecution or for driver's license sanctions. Some drivers agreed to be tested on both devices — there were 329 tests on 268 people. The tests are conducted with a cotton swab, which a driver runs over his gums. The screening machine then produces preliminary roadside results for the presence of six categories of drugs — they're not an indicator of impairment, but recent drug use. Drugs were detected in 87 percent of the tests in the pilot program and the most frequently found substances were cannabinoids (THC or marijuana), methamphetamines and amphetamines. 'The results showed how prevalent and disturbing the simultaneous use of multiple substances is to driving impairment,' Hanson said. More than one drug was found in 62 percent of the tests. In 90 percent of drivers found to have been drinking, based on a preliminary breath test, they also tested positive for one or more drugs, Hanson said. Like portable breath tests, oral fluid testing instruments wouldn't be admissible in court, according to the Office of Traffic Safety. The screening could be used in applying for a search warrant to draw a driver's blood or urine for drug testing. It's those test results from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension that are used in DWI cases. The pilot program showed the drug screening was accurate in detecting the same substances the BCA found in its lab tests, though the BCA has the capability to detect more substances, according to the report. Driving under the influence of drugs accounted for more than 8,000 DWI incidents in Minnesota from 2013 to 2017, and that number nearly doubled between 2018 and 2022, according to State Patrol Col. Christina Bogojevic. 'You don't need a test to tell you it is never OK to get behind the wheel if you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol,' she said. 'Our troopers see every day how the choice to drive impaired can end badly in so many ways — getting arrested for driving while impaired is not just a simple traffic citation. It's a crime that can cost you thousands of dollars, a loss of a driver's license and possible jail time.' And Bogojevic said, 'That's the best possible outcome — at least you're alive and no one else was harmed because of an easily preventable decision.' A survey released by AAA this month showed 85 percent of people who used cannabis reported driving the same day, 53 percent said they used cannabis an hour or less before driving and 81 percent 'falsely believed their driving was the same or better after using cannabis,' she said. Crime & Public Safety | Another raw pet food recall is tied to illness and death in cats Crime & Public Safety | After boy, 14, shot in head in St. Paul, he will become organ donor, family says Crime & Public Safety | St. Paul City Council debates creation of public safety budget oversight committee Crime & Public Safety | Pedestrian fatally struck while walking in traffic on Lafayette Bridge in St. Paul Crime & Public Safety | Stillwater moves to ban cryptocurrency ATMs after series of scams When are people safe to drive after consuming cannabis? 'If you feel different, you drive different,' said State Patrol Sgt. Tyler Milless. '… If at any point that you doubt your safety to drive, get a sober ride.' The Minnesota House and Senate transportation committees authorized the drug screening pilot program and allocated about $900,000 for purchasing devices, training officers and preparing a report about the results. The Office of Traffic Safety submitted the report last week to the committees. The devices cost about $5,000 each to purchase and each test costs $25-30, Hanson said.
