Troopers stopped two of the three vehicles and cited two drivers for reckless driving; however, imagine sharing the highway with someone driving that fast. Would you feel safe?

Those are just two of 365 total street racing stops the State Patrol have made since March 1.

“Street racing and intersection takeovers are not innocent acts," said Col. Matt Langer, chief of the Minnesota State Patrol. They put lives at risk, cause major disturbances to neighborhoods, and damage to private property and public roadways."

State Patrol troopers and our partner agencies will be on the roads in full force this spring and summer to stop dangerous driving behaviors across the state, including street racing. Last year, state troopers stopped 1,900 vehicles in an effort to end street racing and 167 drivers were arrested, 66 of those for drunken driving.

We have seen a reduction in the number of illegal racers, spectators, and gatherings since we began our street racing enforcement efforts in 2021. However, street racing continues and, in some cases, has become more aggressive with participants driving higher speeds in more populated areas. That kind of reckless driving puts people's lives at risk and can lead to serious charges for drivers and promoters.

State Patrol flight resources have been instrumental in tackling this issue. Pilots can safely track fleeing motorists from the sky, which reduces the risk of a fleeing driver causing a crash on our roads and allows law enforcement to safely apprehend the driver later. More than 90 percent of the time, when a helicopter or aircraft is tracking a speeder on the ground, they are arrested without a trooper pursuit on the ground, which makes Minnesota's roads safer for everyone.

“We continue to see a lot of dangerous speeds on the roads," Langer said. “I don't have to tell anyone this. If you drive on our roads, then you know speeding continues to be a serious problem."

In just the month of April 2023, troopers stopped 7,400 drivers and issued more than 3,500 speeding citations. The State Patrol's Highway Enforcement for Aggressive Traffic (HEAT) and Project 20(23) programs will use high-visibility patrols to target excessive speeding and other dangerous driving behaviors.

“Extra enforcement is having a positive impact on our roads," Langer said. “Fatal crashes dropped 10 percent last year over 2021 and are down 22 percent this year. It's a good start but too many drivers are still putting lives at risk — and it has to stop."

Learn more about how Minnesota State Patrol is keeping our roads safe in this news release​.​