Roadway Fatalities
About the measures
Safety on the roadways is MnDOT’s priority. Measuring traffic fatalities helps MnDOT plan for safer roadway conditions. The number of annual fatalities counted are results of crashes by motor vehicles.
Data on roadway fatalities come from Crash Facts Reports published by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
SMTP Objective – Transportation Safety
These measures help us gauge how well MnDOT and our partners are:
- safeguarding transportation users as well as the communities the system travels through
- applying proven strategies to reduce fatalities and serious injuries for all modes
- fostering a culture of transportation safety in Minnesota
Where we want to go
Our long-term goal is to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on Minnesota roadways. The 2025-2029 Minnesota Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) developed by MnDOT in partnership with Minnesota Departments of Public Safety and Health sets a target of no more than 225 roadway fatalities annually by 2030 in pursuit of that goal. The plan and performance targets are updated every five years to reflect current and emerging crash trends and incorporate new safety strategies and tactics. MnDOT seeks to eliminate fatalities, deaths, and serious injuries for transportation users on Minnesota roadways through a partnership approach that recognizes that engineering and law enforcement solutions alone are not enough. MnDOT incorporates a Safe System Approach that builds multiple layers of protection to prevent crashes from happening and minimizes harm to people involved in crashes when they occur. Through the State-Aid programs, MnDOT partners with local government units (e.g., cities and counties) to fund and develop road safety initiatives and plans. Additionally, MnDOT provides traffic engineering training courses to county, city, and private professionals on a variety of road safety topics including lighting design, pavement markings, and work zone traffic engineering.
Minnesota Towards Zero Deaths (TZD) is a key traffic safety program that uses an interdisciplinary approach to reducing roadway deaths and serious injuries. The 2025 SHSP identifies that 90% of fatal and serious injury crashes include six factors speed, inattention, intersections, lane departure, impairment, and unbelted. It further emphasizes that reduced speed and improved attention will have the greatest positive impacts on positive outcomes. Through TZD, MnDOT works with partner agencies and organizations to improve compliance with traffic laws, educate drivers about the risks of behaviors like not wearing seat belts and drinking alcohol and driving, and respond to crashes quickly with emergency medical and trauma services. In the Minnesota 2023 legislative session, the Advisory Council on Traffic Safety (ACTS) was established as a multidisciplinary traffic safety advisory group to the legislature. ACTS is co-chaired by the Departments of Public Safety, Health, and Transportation.