MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota’s law enforcement officers have ticketed three times more drivers for speeding over 100 mph compared to the same period last year as some motorists take advantage of the state’s empty roadways despite the governor’s stay-home directive, authorities said.
State troopers issued 78 tickets to drivers caught traveling at more than 100 mph (160 kph) from March 27 to April 13, the Star Tribune reported. Minnesota’s Department of Public Safety figures show that contrasts with 22 citations issued over the same three-week span in 2019.
“That is concerning for us,” said State Patrol Lt. Gordon Shank. “People are taking more risks.”
Minnesota joins a mounting number of states that include Georgia, Colorado and Michigan in reporting a substantial uptick in excessive speed citations. Some states have clocked motorists at 150 mph (240 kph) on once-traffic congested roadways.
State Patrol Lt. Craig Isaacson on April 11 said he pulled over five drivers in the west metro for excessive speeding. One motorist was clocked at 122 mph (196 kph) on Hwy. 169 in Edina.
“That was the fastest car I ever recall tracking on radar or laser,” Isaacson said. “That was the first time I had that many in one shift. It was memorable due to the fact all were in 60 mph zones.”
Fines for motorists driving 20 mph (32 kph) over the speed limit are doubled, according to the state’s public safety department, and those ticketed for traveling more than 100 mph (160 kph) can lose their license for six months.
Between March 16 and May 4, 45 people died in crashes on the state’s roads, which is 10 higher than that same period last year. So far in 2020, the public safety department’s numbers reveal that Minnesota has recorded 92 traffic deaths contrasted with 88 at this time in 2019.
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