Like Virginia, Minnesota See Five Highway Deaths Over The Fourth

I was reading about the numbers of highway death in Virginia as was pointed out by Injuryboard member Emily Mapp Brannon:

July Fourth Weekend Results in 743 Car Crashes, Five Deaths in Virginia, Emily Mapp Brannon | July 07, 2010 7:04 PM

What I found interesting was that the number of deaths was the same for Minnesota over the 4th. Also that Ms. Brannon’s discussion about drinking was also right on point for our state. The Minnesota State Patrol reported that they arrested 53 drivers for DUI over the weekend.

This weekend in Minnesota has not been good in the past:

During 20072009 surrounding the holiday period, there were 18 traffic deaths of which 14 were alcohol-related and only two of the 11 motorists killed were belted.

Theyearly numbers continue to go down for highway deaths. But, alcohol and no seat belts continue to play too big a role.

Hopefully, the more light we shine on these issues will lead to less deaths over the holidays everywhere in the country.

With any death in a Minnesota motor vehicle collision, there are a number of issues that will need to be reviewed. My partner, Joe Crumley, addressed this topic in a article for the Minnesota Lawyers Trial magazine and I was interviewed in the past on the topic.