“ASK A TROOPER” by Sgt. Jesse Grabow of the Minnesota State Patrol

Summer in Minnesota brings sunshine and excitement with campgrounds and cabins opening and families heading out on vacation. All of the campers, trailers, and extra vehicle traffic makes Memorial Day to Labor Day a deadly time for traffic fatalities each year on Minnesota roads.  Unfortunately this time frame is also dangerous for your young drivers as college and high school end and they’re driving more often during the summer.  That’s why the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety is reminding all Minnesotans to drive safely.

As the weather heats up, so do speeds. Extra enforcement to slow down speeding motorists will take place July 1 through July 31.  Through May 22 of this year, there were 34 fatalities linked to unsafe speeds.

Alcohol-related crashes not only take lives, they change them forever. Alcohol-related crashes contributed to 17 fatalities through May 22. The extra impaired enforcement campaign runs Aug. 19 through Sept. 5. 

The Minnesota State Patrol will continue Highway Enforcement for Aggressive Traffic (HEAT) patrols through the summer to focus on speed and criminal activity.

As of May 26, Minnesota is already at 126 traffic fatalities for 2022, compared to 151 in 2021.  The fatality report for 2022 so far: 11 pedestrians, 9 motorcyclists, 1 ATV rider, and 103 vehicle crashes.

You can avoid a ticket — and a crash — if you simply buckle up, drive at safe speeds, pay attention, and always plan ahead for a sober ride.  Help us drive Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths.

If you have any questions concerning traffic related laws or issues in Minnesota, send your questions to Trp. Jesse Grabow – Minnesota State Patrol at 1000 Highway 10 West, Detroit Lakes, MN 56501-2205.  (You can follow him on Twitter @MSPPIO_NW or reach him at, jesse.grabow@state.mn.us).