By Shawn Hogendorf, Staff Writer 

During a statewide Safe and Sober effort in April, Prior Lake police cited 74 motorists for speeding.

Two citations were for vehicles traveling in excess of 100 mph, said Prior Lake police Sgt. Greg Zollner. One of the vehicles was traveling 112 mph and the other at 110 mph, he said.

Illegal or unsafe speed is the No. 1 contributing factor in fatal crashes, Zollner said. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration identifies three consequences of excessive speed that include greater potential loss of vehicle control, increased stopping distance and increased crash severity, leading to more numerous and severe injuries, Zollner said.

The speeding stops also led to three careless driving citations, five seat belt citations, one stop light citation, three no-proof-of-insurance tickets and one citation for no proof of a Minnesota driver’s license, Zollner said.

Speeding is the most commonly reported factor in fatal crashes. Each year in Minnesota, speed contributes to about 150 traffic deaths and 7,000 injuries.

“We receive numerous complaints of speeding vehicles in neighborhoods in our community,” Zollner said. “This campaign is one of our efforts to reduce these complaints for the safety of everyone in our community.”

The Safe and Sober effort is coordinated by the Department of Public Safety of Traffic Safety.

Shawn Hogendorf can be reached at (952) 345-6374 or shogendorf@swpub.com.