MINNEAPOLIS — Spend any time on the road lately and it's easy to feel unsafe.
Speeds increased during the pandemic and drivers never slowed down. Add in other bad behavior and Minnesota's Department of Public Safety says it's now the deadliest start to a summer in 10 years.
"She was 18 years old, she had everything ahead of her," said Trish Wehling, whose daughter, Jordan, was killed by a drunk driver in 2013. She was a passenger in Tyler Henry's vehicle when police say he was drunk and crashed on I-35. He already had three drunk driving convictions and would serve several years in jail for Jordan's death.
"I was really really bitter, it took me a good year," said Wehling about forgiving Henry. "I just don't understand why you'd take that chance."
Ask any official and that risky behavior on the road is only getting worse, especially since 2020.
"There are many drivers who are treating our roadways as a personal playground," said Mike Hanson, director for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Office of Traffic Safety.
He says nearly 500 people died on Minnesota roads in 2020 - when just three years earlier, it recorded the lowest number in nearly 30 years.
"Our transportation system is based on the principle that everybody follows a set of rules and that we all agree to follow those set of rules when we have the privilege of using our roadway system," said Hanson. "And that's exactly what we need to get back."
This year, 46 have lost their lives in crashes during the first 25 of the current 100 days. The days between Memorial Day and Labor Day are known as the 100 deadliest.
Hanson says those crashes are all about speeding, lack of seatbelts and impairment, which still accounts for a third of fatalities.
"It's going to take a lot of work, but I believe in my heart that most people do want to be a good driver," said Hanson, who points to new projects that might help.
He said the lawmakers approved $2 million in funding this session to help decrease speeds on high-risk roads in rural areas. While traffic levels in the city are at or above what they were pre-pandemic.
Wehling knows all too well how one wrong decision can change everything.
"I’ve learned to deal with that I wish I didn’t have to deal with," said Wehling, who's making it her mission to keep Jordan's memory alive. "To spread our message to just don't make that decision; don't drink and drive."
If you'd like to support families who have lost loved ones on the road, Mothers Against Drunk Driving is hosting a walk on Sept. 16 at 10 a.m. at Clifton E. French Regional Park in Plymouth.
You can sign up for Wehling's team here and help them raise even more money and awareness to honor Jordan.
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