People looking down at their phones, eating or messing with the radio while behind the wheel aren't giving their full attention to the task at hand — driving. Getting distracted behind the wheel for even a couple seconds can end with someone being seriously hurt or killed.

Distracted driving contributed to an average of 29 deaths and 146 life-changing injuries per year in Minnesota from 2019-2023, according to preliminary numbers from our Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). That's why OTS is using a $100,000 grant from Michelin Mobility Intelligence (MMI) and the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) to help us determine how we can reduce distracted driving on Minnesota roads. The grant was a​warded to OTS as a credit that covers the cost of MMI data.

“The ultimate goal is to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on our roads," said OTS Director Mike Hanson. “The more information we have, the more effective our efforts to improve driver behaviors will be so we can all get home safe."

The agreement with MMI and GHSA gives us access to a unique set of data on distracted driving, speeding and harsh braking (for example, slamming on the brakes) in Hennepin County. The data is collected from a variety of sources by MMI, such as cell phone apps that ask people to voluntarily agree to provide anonymous data. This is data we wouldn't normally have access to but could prove crucial as we work to figure out the root cause of distracted driving and effective ways to get drivers to change their behaviors. As part of the project, OTS provided MMI with anonymous crash, citation and speed limit data.

We plan to use MMI's analysis to identify areas that have unusually high numbers of dangerous behaviors. As we learn more, we will be able to look at the best ways to keep everyone safe on our roads, whether that is targeted education efforts, law enforcement or something else. We will also distribute the data to our partners in the Toward Zero D​eaths program.

The project is currently focused on Hennepin County, the most populous county in Minnesota. Once we receive the analysis from MMI — which is expected by the end of this month — OTS experts will decide whether we want to expand the project to other counties.