The Importance of Crash Data
Compiling accurate crash data is critical to OTS. Analyzing crash data allows officials and law enforcement to better address traffic safety issues — by understanding why and where crashes are occurring, and who is being impacted.
OTS produces documents concerning Minnesota's motor vehicle crashes. In addition, OTS houses the state's Fatality Analysis Reporting System analyst. Two major publications produced by OTS are Minnesota Motor Vehicle Crash Facts and the Minnesota Impaired Driving Facts.
What's New
Traffic Fatalities Increase by 8 Percent
The 394 fatalities include:
256 motorists.
45 pedestrians.
10 bicyclists.
64 motorcyclists.
Of the 394 fatalities:
79 were known to be drunk-driving related.
122 were known to be speed related.
32 were known to be distracted driving related.
105 were unbelted motorists.
2021 Observational Seat Belt Survey Available
The 2021 Observational Survey presents a data analyses of seat belt use by front seat occupants (drivers and outermost passengers), defined by vehicle type, age, sex, seating position, time of day and day of week. Included in the survey are results on cell phone use while driving and motorcycle helmet use.
Ignition Interlock Program Evaluation
A new evaluation report examined participation and outcomes for ignition interlock program participants and compared it with eligible drivers who didn’t participate in the program.
High Risk Driver Analysis
Read the summary of a random telephone survey of Minnesotans for the purpose of examining the behaviors of Minnesotans with regard to a variety of risky driving behaviors. The results of the this survey help to better understand the characteristics of high-risk drivers in the state in order to inform efforts to improve driver safety.
Minnesota DWI Courts: A Summary of Evaluation Findings
Read the summary of a detailed process evaluation and outcome evaluation in nine Minnesota DWI court programs, and a cost-benefit evaluation in seven of these programs. The overall goal of the DWI court project was to have a credible and rigorous evaluation of the process and effectiveness of Minnesota’s DWI courts.
Impact of Minnesota's Primary Seat Belt Law:
An Evaluation Update
The new
evaluation report presents an update on the Impact of Minnesota’s Primary Seat Belt Law. Since the law became effective in June 2009, there have been at least:
- 132 fewer deaths
- 434 fewer severe injuries
- 1,270 fewer moderate injuries
- $67 million in hospital charges avoided which includes close to $16 million in Minnesota tax dollars.
The statewide seat belt use rate is nearly 95 percent, and the law enjoys the support of more than 70 percent of Minnesotans 18 and older.
2017 Impaired Driving Facts Report: 72 Killed in Drunk Driving Crashes
Last year 72 people were killed in Minnesota crashes involving a drunk driver, representing 57 fewer drunk driving deaths from a decade ago. Still, alcohol-related crashes account for one-third of the state's total traffic deaths annually. The drunk driving is a persistent problem with 24862 DWI arrests in 2017. Males accounted for 72 percent of DWI arrests last year, outnumbering females nearly 3:1. Over half of DWI offenders (52 percent) in 2017 were younger adults aged 20-34. The OTS annual report can be found on the Minnesota Impaired Driving Facts Page.
Key Findings in the 2017 report:
358 people died in traffic crashes in Minnesota and 72 (20 percent) were in crashes involving drunk drivers.
2,389 people suffered injuries in alcohol-related crashes.
24,862 motorists were arrested for DWIs, an average of 68 DWIs per day.
1,212 (5 percent) of the DWIs were issued to drivers less than 21 years of age.
One out of every seven licensed drivers in Minnesota has at least one DWI. The majority (58 percent) of those Minnesotans with a DWI have only a single incident on record.
Nearly half (49 percent) of DWI arrests are on the weekend (Saturdays and Sundays).
The average BAC for DWI offenders was 0.15g/dL. For drivers involved in a fatal crash, the average BAC among those who had been drinking was 0.19g/dL.
77 percent of motorists arrested for DWI resulted in a criminal conviction for driving while impaired; this percentage will increase as outstanding cases are settled in courts.
The Ignition Interlock program is growing. The number of interlock devices installed has nearly doubled in the last three years, from 5,276 in 2013 to 9,780 in 2015. During that time period, 12,074 people graduated fro the interlock program.
