ROCHESTER, Minn. - Law enforcement is asking drivers to slow down after over 20,000 speeding tickets were issued across Minnesota in July.
Law enforcement agencies from all over the state were part of a month-long campaign to provide extra speed enforcement on the roads.
The number of citations they handed out shows just how bad the speeding problem has become.
In the Rochester area, State Patrol gave out 1,431 speeding tickets last month, with one speeder going 118 miles per hour.
The Olmsted County Sheriff's Office and Rochester Police Department also issued nearly 300 additional tickets combined.
According to Sergeant Troy Christianson, Minnesota drivers need to better understand the risks of driving fast and recklessly.
"We need to continue to educate people on the dangers of speed," he said. "You have less time to react and the crashes are much more violent. That's what we're seeing; an increase in fatal crashes and serious injury crashes on the roadways of Minnesota."
Sgt. Christianson also believes the problem can't be fixed just with extra enforcement. He says State Patrol plans to use advertising as a way to educate drivers.
