State officials continue effort to reduce traffic fatalities on Highway 61, other Minnesota roadways

Fatal car accidents continue to be an area of concern in northeastern Minnesota. Across the state, 444 people were killed on Minnesota roadways in 2022. Impaired drivers, speeding, and not wearing a seat belt were among the reasons listed in crashes and accidents that involved someone’s death.

Recently passed legislation in Minnesota will allow for the legal use of marijuana for adults 21 and older. Concerns expressed by some Minnesotans when it came to the legalization of marijuana was potential impacts from driving while impaired by pot. State officials are also concerned about impaired driving from prescription medication at this time, as was discussed during a road safety conference in Duluth.

The conference was under the umbrella of the Toward Zero Death initiative. The initiative consists of department members of the state of Minnesota that come together to decide how to reduce fatal accidents on the road.

Ken Johnson is the assistant state traffic engineer for the Minnesota Department of Transportation. He said the agency and its partners in law enforcement, local highway departments, and others, continue to work to reduce roadside fatalities in Minnesota, including on Highway 61 between Duluth and Grand Portage. He spoke recently with WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs. Audio below.

Joe Friedrichs June 28, 2023