405 people died on Minnesota roads in 2015

“We can all make a difference and save lives by making driving our number one priority when we are behind the wheel”.

Road deaths are the highest they’ve been in Minnesota since 2010, according to a news release from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety.

Preliminary numbers from the department showed 396 people died on Minnesota roads a year ago compared with 361 for 2014.

“Frustrating”, is a word local officials use to describe 2015 statistics when it comes to traffic fatalities in Minnesota.

Distracted Driving: one in five fatalities.

Half of motor vehicle occupants killed were not wearing their seat belt.

“There’s a big increase in pedestrian fatalities, we had 24 more this year than last year, ” explains Sgt. Troy Christianson with the Minnesota State Patrol.

Once the DPS receives their final crash data, they predict the total number of road fatalities to be 405, but Capt. Chip Lemon say even one death is too many.

10 bicyclists, compared with five in 2014.

Through education, enforcement, engineering, and emergency medical and trauma response, traffic fatalities have been reduced significantly since the mid-2000s.