Findings from a multiyear study show a recent decline in some types of traffic enforcement and provide insight into how different traffic violations are handled in the Minnesota judicial system. Understanding these patterns, says the study’s team, is essential for informing policymakers, law enforcement, and others about the effectiveness of traffic law enforcement efforts.
In May 2023, the Minnesota Legislature directed CTS to evaluate recent trends statewide in enforcement and court rulings for speeding, impaired driving, distracted driving, and seat belt violations. In a study sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, University of Minnesota (UMN) researchers examined traffic safety violations in Minnesota between 2017 and 2022, analyzing case counts, conviction rates, and fines and fee payments for 1.2 million records.
The UMN research team was led by Stephanie Malinoff, CTS director of strategy and operations, with CTS scholar and co-investigator Nichole Morris and CTS scholar Curtis Craig of the Department of Mechanical Engineering; CTS scholar and co-investigator Frank Douma and Grace Foss of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs; and Andrew Ryan of the School of Public Health rounding out the team.
Annual trends were measured using case counts, and conviction percentages were calculated on a case basis. The team then analyzed the number of citations in individual agencies to spot any differences due to geographic region, external events, or policy changes.
Overall, the study found a 25 percent decline in total citations across all four violation categories over the six-year period. Specifically, citations for speeding declined 28 percent, with decreases largely stemming from municipal police departments. Impairment citations declined by 12 percent and seat belt citations by 53 percent. In contrast, distracted driving citations increased by 90 percent.
Geographically, law enforcement agencies in the seven-county metro area issued more speeding and seat belt citations than agencies outside this area; however, this pattern was reversed when considering staffing levels. Citations for impairment and distraction were higher among the metro agencies, and this effect held regardless of staffing.
During the study period, the number of speeding citations dropped 28 percent while the number of speeding-related fatal crashes more than doubled. A similar pattern occurred with impairment-related incidents. Conversely, an increase in the number of citations issued for distracted driving coincided with an almost 40 percent decline in distracted-driving crashes that resulted in property damage or injuries. Fatal distracted-driving crashes remained low and showed no consistent pattern with citations.
When examining conviction rates, the team found that rates were generally high but varied by the type of violation and charge level. For example, speeding petty misdemeanors were convicted at high, steady rates (93 to 95 percent), while speeding misdemeanors were far less common and convicted at lower rates (68 to 73 percent). Conviction rates for impaired driving were high across all judicial districts.
The research team also looked at the financial transactions associated with traffic violations during this period. Among all convicted traffic violations with at least one fine or fee, 99 percent were paid except for impaired-driving violations. Impaired driving payment rates were 83 percent or lower annually.
Finally, the team found that citations dropped significantly after COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd in 2020. “Given the overlapping time of both major sociocultural events, it’s difficult to examine their individual influences,” Morris says. However, distracted-driving citations increased 155 percent following the 2019 enactment of the Hands-Free law. Targeted Toward Zero Deaths enforcement campaigns effectively increased citations for speeding, seat belt, and distracted driving violations, but not for impaired driving—instead, targeted campaigns for speed enforcement saw more impaired-driving citations, Morris notes.
“These findings offer an objective view about the level of traffic enforcement by state, county, and local law enforcement agencies, which can support informed conversations about how resources are allocated and how community expectations align with reality,” Malinoff says. “It also sets the stage for future analyses to expand on studying how specific policy changes or external events—such as legislative amendments or enforcement campaigns—can influence outcomes.”
—Amy Friebe, CTS senior editorial manager
