Minnesota Towards Zero Deaths Program Director joins Bonnie and Friends to speak on drivers safety

(Fargo, ND) -- Katy Kressin with Minnesota Towards Zero Deaths joined WDAY's Bonnie and Friends to speak about roadway safety.

Kressin says a big contributor towards crashes is distracted driving. She says everyone immediately thinks about phones, but she points towards other things drivers do every day.

"Maybe it's the kids in your back seat, or its looking at the billboards, "said Kressin, "Your GPS isn't going the right direction [and] you have to reroute it, or changing the radio station, reaching down to get something that dropped."

Other less known contributors include the changing sunset and sunrise times. Kressin says, this time of year, accidents increase partially due to the earlier periods of darkness. She says now is a great time to make sure younger drivers are confident on the road.

"This is a great time to make sure you are getting back in the car with your new drivers, "said Kressin, citing the change in lighting conditions being only one of the factors we are about to head towards. She says snow and plows are just around the corner, and encourages residents to make sure their driving refresher when it is safe to do so. 

Kressin says a separate, but hugely important thing to remember is to wear your seatbelt. She says data is trending backwards with seatbelt use.

"The unbelted crashes we are seeing nationwide right now have increased to levels [seen] years ago, "said Kressin "We have seen, since the pandemic, increased speeds...increased unbelted crashes... and honestly increased crashes all together."

You can learn more about Minnesota Towards Zero Deaths by clicking here.