Minnesota may be heading for a record breaking year, but it’s a record we don’t want to beat.

Saturday, December 16, 2000

Minnesota may be heading for a record breaking year, but it’s a record we don’t want to beat.

The year 2000 could be one of the deadliest traffic years in decades, according to the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety.

The state could possibly post 700 fatalities this year, the highest number since 1981, when 763 were killed in traffic accidents. The average is 587.

Right now the state stands at 585, just 42 away from last year’s number of 626.

It may sound like just statistics, but each of those numbers represents a human life, and we would like to keep the numbers as low as possible.

There’s still plenty of snow that will fly by the end of the year. Driving conditions will remain hazardous. And the holiday season often brings with it an increase in traffic accidents.

Help keep the state from breaking a record. Please remember to drive cautiously this winter. Drive slowly. Don’t attempt to pass snowplows. Be aware that ice may be hidden underneath snow.

We’re at 585 and counting. This is one record Minnesotans don’t need to break.