ST. PAUL – Minnesota has surpassed last year’s traffic fatality count.
Wiith a month to go in the year, preliminary numbers from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety show 365 people have died so far on Minnesota roads compared with 361 for all of last year.
Among the increases this year were the deaths of 61 motorcyclists, compared with 45 this time last year; 36 pedestrians, compared with 16 this time last year; and 10 bicyclists, compared with five this time last year.
The contributing factors to the traffic deaths so far this year are speed, responsible for one in five deaths; drunken driving, one in four fatalities and distracted driving, one in five fatalities.
The department also said half of motor vehicle occupants killed were not wearing their seat belt.
