Increase in speed-related crashes and fatalities in Freeborn County

“You have less automobile website traffic, considerably less miles traveled, but you have an boost in the quantity of crashes and they really should not be incorporating up. With considerably less men and women out, you should have less crashes,” Lt. Jeffrey Strom of Albert Lea Police Department explained.

According to the Minnesota Condition Patrol, the condition noticed a 100% increase from 2019 to 2020 in the amount of citations penned to those dashing around 100 mph.

“You will find this perception that ‘nothing is heading to take place to me, I really don’t have to obey the regulation,'” Strom said.

Although drivers out on the streets may perhaps imagine simply because of the pandemic, there is less enforcement. That is not the scenario.

“Some of these elements could be that men and women feel that legislation enforcement is not implementing speed. But, in actuality, we are. We are enforcing targeted visitors violations and continuing to stop speeders,” Strom said.

Minnesota Office of Transportation suggests that during the COVID-19 pandemic period of time, there have been 366 targeted traffic fatalities (considering that March 14, 2020).

“As a element of our ‘Toward Zero Death’ grant that we got from the point out of Minnesota and the Business office of Traffic Basic safety, we’re obtaining officers on overtime, they’re out there on the lookout for the speeders, in addition to the officers by now functioning. We have officers out patrolling at unique periods all over the day and the night time, seeking specifically for speeders,” Strom claimed.

The Albert Lea Police Office and Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office are participating in a grant targeted traffic protection venture by the point out of Minnesota. That is planned for February and March of this yr. That grant is claimed to be $26,000 set towards enforcements for traffic pace, distracted driving, seatbelts and some others.