With snow on the way, the Minnesota State Patrol calls on drivers to help prevent deadly crashes

According to the Minnesota State Patrol, fatal crashes continue to be on the rise statewide, despite significantly less traffic on the roads. With measurable snow in the forecast today, the State Patrol is urging drivers to help reduce the number of deaths on our roads.

Monday morning, two people were killed in a head-on collision on Highway 19 just west of Northfield.

2 killed in Hwy 19 crash involving semi; victims identified

A 28-year-old from Northfield and a 59-year-old from Goodhue died in that crash. With snow on the way, Lieutenant Gordon Shank says drivers need to plan ahead for slick conditions.

"Winters gonna be here obviously its’ gonna be here a little sooner than we hope so let’s make sure we’re planning ahead and make sure that we’re getting where we need to go safely and getting ourselves a game plan," says Shank.

Earlier this month, the Department of Public Safety released crash data showing that 308 people died on Minnesota roads between January 1st and October 12th of this year, compared to 277 during the same period in 2019.

Of the over 300 fatalities on Minnesota roads, officials say 72 percent were male. The age ranges with the highest number of fatalities are between 21 and 30 and between 51 and 60.

The State Patrol also says that DWI numbers are now back up to where they were before the pandemic. See more crash statistics around the state.