The State Patrol says 10 people have died on Minnesota roads since Thursday and they’re urging motorists to buckle up, watch their speed, stay alert and don’t drive and drive. Lieutenant Robert Zak says as a society, we do not have to accept these traffic fatalities. Zak says, “If we had 300-plus people shot and killed in the state so far, there’d be a lot of public outcry over that, so why are we accepting of 300-plus fatalities out on our roadways?” Among traffic deaths the past few days in Minnesota: Best friends who died when their truck crashed in Morrison County, and a seven-year-old boy struck and killed while crossing the street for the school bus.
Forty-one pedestrians have been killed on Minnesota roads this year compared to 25 last year and the State Patrol is urging everyone to be more careful. Zak says pedestrians must cross at a corner, a marked crosswalk or where a light is present, and there’s a “similar message for the motorists: We ask them to treat every corner as a crosswalk and watch for pedestrians.” Zak says pedestrians should make eye contact with drivers before entering the roadway. And he notes driver distraction is the leading cause of vehicle crashes with pedestrians.