Biggest MN Safe Driving Concerns Heading Into Fishing Opener Weekend
Fishing opener/Mother's Day weekend is just days away. This weekend will be a busy weekend in Minnesota for travel. Bill Van Koevering is the MN-Dot Toward Zero Deaths Regional Coordinator based in St. Cloud. He indicates there are many driving concerns Central Minnesotans should be aware of.
St. Cloud and surrounding areas have plenty of road construction projects including the Highway 23/10 interchange and additional road work being done on Highway 10. Van Koevering says when 4-lane divided highways are reduced to 2 lanes zipper merges are suggested. He explains drivers should not change lanes until they reach the merge right or left sign. That that point Van Koevering suggests each lane should then alternate continuing on the road way. He says Minnesotans have a tendency to merge immediately when they see a merge right or left sign and at the point where that lane ends some drivers won't let traffic from the lane that goes away in.
Van Koevering urges drivers to not speed in work zones, be aware of workers in the work zone and remember that fines in work zones double. Distracted and impaired driving tends to become more likely on fishing opener/Mother's Day weekend. Van Koevering encourages those choosing to become impaired to not drive.
Farm equipment and motorcycle crashes are another concern this time of year. Van Koevering says there have been many cases in recent weeks of drivers running into slower moving farm machines. He says some of these accidents have resulted in fatalities. He also encourages those driving motorcycles to wear helmets. Other reminders include to turn on your headlights when we have fog or any precipitation. Van Koevering says don't assume your lights will come on automatically.
If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Bill Koevering from MN-Dot it is available below.