Lead-footed young drivers are responsible for almost 60 percent of speed-related traffic deaths in Minnesota, according to new state data released Wednesday.
Speeders cause around 80 deaths per year in the state—including 38 in Hennepin County over the last three years, plus 97 severe injuries. 243 people were killed and 684 were seriously injured in speed-related crashes statewide from 2010 to 2012. Overall 1,174 were killed and 3,618 severely injured in automobile accidents in the same period.
“Young drivers are more likely to engage in risky behavior such as speeding, putting themselves and others at greater risk of a serious injury or death,” Donna Berger, director of the Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety, said in a news release accompanying the data.
Middle-aged drivers between ages 30 and 60 were responsible for only 38 percent of speed-related traffic deaths.
The DPS news release said state troopers will be stepping up speeding enforcement this month, and urged drivers to adopt the "Three Second Rule."
"Motorists should keep a three-second following distance to allow for safe stopping and reaction to other vehicles," the release said. "It takes more than the length of a football field to stop when traveling at 60 miles per hour."
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