Blog Archive: June 2020
June 29
We can all agree that 2020 has been a pretty rough year, with the tragic effects of the pandemic and the disruption to so many lives, jobs and activities. So you’d think everyone would be doing everything they can to avoid making it worse. Not so for the 232 drivers pulled over by the Minnesota State Patrol from April 1 through May 21 for going over 100 mph. Considering that not a single person should be going that fast, 232 is a staggering number. “But traffic volumes were so low during the stay at home order, who cares if anyone was speeding?” The answer is the families and friends...
June 25
When we think of distracted driving, most of us think of someone holding a phone up to their ear or scrolling through their social media feed. But distracted driving takes a lot of different forms. When you fiddle with your car stereo, you’re taking your eyes and attention off the road. Same with cleaning up a spill from that barbecue sandwich you’re trying to eat. Setting your navigation while driving also distracts from the road, and even passengers can distract you. And if you think no one ever does that sort of thing anymore, the statistics from the most recent distracted driving...
June 22
Your class D road test appointment is coming up, and the last thing you want is to be turned away because you didn’t come prepared. We want to walk you through what to bring and what to expect, because the process itself has changed a bit since before the COVID-19 pandemic. That way you’ll be on track to take your class D road test...
June 18
The kinds of emergencies the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) usually deals with tend to have a beginning and an end. Snowmelt and heavy rains cause spring flooding, for example. But once the floodwaters recede and the community starts to rebuild, the SEOC can move from response mode to recovery mode, and then deactivate altogether – until the next emergency, anyway. Not so with COVID-19. The Minnesota SEOC has been in active-response mode for 100 days as of this week, providing local entities responding to the pandemic with coordination...
June 15
After over two months of staying at home to slow the spread of COVID-19, heading out on the open road sounds like just the ticket. And a lot of Minnesotans will likely make similar plans, even as they’re staying close to home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But that sense of freedom can turn tragic if you’re driving distracted, speeding, driving while impaired, or driving unbuckled. The 100 days from Memorial Day through Labor Day are most people’s best opportunity for a short road trip – especially now that people are starting to venture out after the stay at home order...
