Due to the excessive speeding and aggressive driving on Minnesota roads, the Safety Council urges good drivers to protect themselves by:

• Minding the gap – help your emergency braking, give yourself more distance to the car in front of you.

• Dropping five – slow down to give yourself more time to react.

• Buckling up – seatbelts are the best protection for everyone in the vehicle.

• Being super alert – reduce distractions and keep your mind on driving.

• Looking three times – red light runners are a real danger, look left, right, left at all intersections even if you have the right of way.

Safe driving keeps you and your passengers safe.

The statistics are startling. According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety/ Office of Traffic Safety, the number of year-to date traffic fatalities in 2021 are the highest they have been in over five years. Through September 14, there were 335 traffic-related deaths on Minnesota roadways — this is a 24% increase over last year at this time.

Speed continues to be the largest contributing factor in fatal traffic crashes. Currently, Minnesota is at a shocking 114 speed-related deaths, this is a 36% increase from this time last year and a 97% increase from this time in 2019.

Since 1929, the Minnesota Safety Council has worked to keep Minnesotans safer at work, on the road and at home. For helpful traffic safety resources, including links to our new video series reminding drivers to slow down and pay attention, visit www.minnesotasafetycouncil. org/traffic/.