As 2025 rolls in, I’ve got a New Year’s resolution for every Minnesotan and all those who pass through on our state’s roadways.
Slow down and pay attention when you’re behind the wheel!
As I write, we’re still a few days from the end of 2024 and preliminary final statistics for the year’s traffic crash deaths and injuries. We do know one sad fact for sure – by mid-November we’d exceeded the full-year crash death total for 2023 of 402. As of Dec. 18, our preliminary total for 2024 stood at 447, with the final days of the holiday season and New Year’s Eve still ahead, typically a period of higher numbers of crashes, injuries and deaths.
It doesn’t have to be this way. I’m an optimist by nature and know what can be accomplished when we all focus on a common goal. From 2007 through this recent spike, education, enforcement, engineering, safer vehicles – and the commitment of traffic safety advocates AND drivers – have pushed crash deaths steadily lower. I believe we can turn the tide and reduce those numbers once again toward our ultimate goal of zero crash deaths.
As traffic safety educators and advocates, each year we make our personal resolutions to continue telling the story of the life-shattering impact of crash deaths and serious injuries and to use the educational and enforcement tools available to us. Like me, I know you’ll start 2025 with the goal of doing whatever you can to make our roadways safer.
Thank you for all you’ve done this year. I join you in resolving to make 2025 less deadly on our roads.
Yours in traffic safety,
Lisa Kons
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