Summer's here, and with COVID-19 restrictions loosening, it's time to travel!

After being cooped up for three months, you may be tempted to get out and away...fast! But be sure not to get out too fast! Starting June 22, Minnesota Department of Public Safety is kicking off a month-long crackdown on speeders.

"The 100 days from Memorial Day through Labor Day are...referred to as the 100 most traveled days on Minnesota’s roads," says the DPS at their blog. "Unfortunately, those 100 days are also the most dangerous." Even though those 100 days only account for about 1/4 of the year, DPS goes on to say, over 1/3 of all traffic deaths typically occur during them. "Preliminary numbers for 2019, for example, show that 136 of the year’s 364 traffic fatalities happened during this 100-day stretch—that’s 37 percent."

Remarkably, even though driving traffic was down for the three months during Minnesota's Stay-at-home order, there were more driving fatalities at 50 than the same period of time last year (47). Speed, distraction, lack of seat belt use and drunk driving are all attributed as leading factors and distractions in fatal and serious motor vehicle crashes.

According to MSN, the State Patrol ticketed 232 drivers caught going 100 mph or more during a six-week period in April and May; only 93 drivers were ticketed during the same time frame in 2019 equating to a year-over-year increase of 149%.

In order to discourage speeding and prevent further crashes and deaths, the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and law enforcement will together be enforcing a month-long crackdown on speeding from June 22-July 19. During that time, extra law enforcement will be on the roads patrolling and watching for speeding or distracted drivers. "The one-year anniversary of the hands-free cell phone law is Aug. 1.,"reminds DPS, and "law enforcement across the state will be conducting extra hands-free cell phone enforcement."