Choose Safety over Distraction

​A New Prague school bus driver is killed by a woman allegedly responding to a text.

A driver sending Facebook messages hits a vehicle in Sherburne County, killing a father and his young daughter.

Distracted driving contributes to one in four crashes in Minnesota. No distraction is worth a life.

Help us put an end to distracted driving. Before you get in the car, put away the phone, adjust your radio and enter your location into your GPS. If you’re a passenger, speak up if someone drives distracted.

Pedestrian Safety is Two-Way Street

​Minnesota had the lowest pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 people in the first half of 2014, according to a recent report by the Governors Highway Safety Association.

While the low fatality rate is encouraging, even one fatality is too much when you’re the family who lost a loved one.

Pedestrian safety is a two-way street. Here are some safety tips:

• Drivers must stop for crossing pedestrians at marked crosswalks and at all intersections without crosswalks or stop lights.
• Pedestrians must obey traffic signs and signals at all intersections that have them.
• Vehicles stopped for pedestrians can proceed once the pedestrian has completely crossed the lane in front of the stopped vehicle.
• Pedestrians must not enter a crosswalk if a vehicle is approaching and it is impossible for the driver to stop.