Driving to Minnesota? Better not text and drive

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA – If you plan to drive into Minnesota, you should know that texting and driving is taken seriously north of the border.

The Minnesota State Patrol said Saturday they will “be looking for you” if your eyes are “on your phone instead of the road”.

That law enforcement agency says troopers and more than 300 law enforcement agencies are cracking down on distracted driving right now, saying “we’ve had enough with distracted driving.”

Distracted driving is a personal choice that can have a tragic ripple effect — loss of life, serious injuries, devastated families, and a human and financial impact on the surrounding community, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety says. More than 30 Minnesota organizations, ranging from Fortune 500 to local businesses, are joining the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and law enforcement agencies statewide to take a stand against texting while driving and influence motorists to pay attention behind the wheel.

Distracted driving is a leading factor in crashes in Minnesota, contributing to one in four crashes in the state. In a five year period (2010 – 2014), 328 people lost their lives and 1,138 people suffered life-changing injuries in distracted driving-related crashes.  During the 2015 extra enforcement distracted driving campaign, law enforcement cited 909 drivers for texting and driving, a 65 percent increase over the previous year (550).