Minnesota State Patrol: More than 12,000 drivers cited for speed so far this year

(FOX 9) - The Minnesota State Patrol reported that more speeding citations have been written so far this year compared to 2020.

According to officials, between Jan. 1 and Feb. 25, troopers cited 12,018 drivers for speed. Last year, that number was 9,429.

Back in February, authorities reported that they were seeing a stark increase in speeding tickets - particularly those going over 100 mph - over the last year. In 2020, troopers wrote 1,068 citations to drivers traveling more than 100 mph. In 2019, that number was 533 - a 100 percent increase. In one case, a driver was cited for going 153 mph.

Preliminary reports also show that 120 motorists died in speed-related crashes in 2020, the most since 2008. The 397 traffic fatalities in 2020 are the most in five years, with speed contributing to 30 percent of all fatalities last year.