NORTH DAKOTA – North Dakota is seeing a 30% increase in deadly crashes over the last two years.
Highway Patrol Captain Bryan Niewind said 50% of fatal crashes are because of vehicles leaving their lanes or crashing in an intersection.
“Those crashes are primarily caused by somebody that’s impaired or somebody that’s distracted. If you’re out driving and you cross the center line, you’re probably going to be stopped and it’s going to be a citation,” Niewind said.
Niewind said the amount of deadly crashes decreased in 2024 and 2025 because of the state’s primary seat belt law. It allows law enforcement to pull over a vehicle if the only thing a driver is doing illegally is not wearing a seat belt.
