If you saw a ton more police over the weekend, there's a reason. A statewide speed enforcement started on July 7th and will run through the 23rd.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation - Office of Traffic Safety (DPS-OTS) provides federal funding for law enforcement to work overtime hours conducting increased patrols, and their goal is to reduce the number of traffic related deaths in 2017. They call this time of year "the 100 deadliest days of summer".

Statistics show that over the "100 deadliest days of summer" from the last 5 years, each year the number of deaths related to speed have been 109. They say the warm weather along with drinking, texting, and just being tempted to drive faster with dry roads - all attributes to this time of year to be the least safe.

The Minnesota (DPS-OTS) is heavily focused on their Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) program, and remind people about the 'Count to 3' mindset when driving. Drivers should keep a 3-second driving distance behind the car in front of them. Traveling 60 MPH takes the length of a football field to come to a stop.

For more information on traffic safety and this campaign, visit their website at http://dps.mn.gov.

 

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