Significant Rise In Hands-Free Driving Tickets In Minnesota

ST. PAUL (WJON News) -- The Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety has released the results of the April distracted driving enforcement campaign.

The office says law enforcement agencies handed out 6,450 hands-free cell phone citations during the month-long campaign. That's 1,000 more tickets than in the 2024 enforcement campaign.

In greater Minnesota, some agencies with the most tickets include the St. Cloud District of the Minnesota State Patrol with 221, the St. Cloud Police Department with 110, and the Wright County Sheriff's Office with 101.

The St. Paul Police Department led all participating agencies by issuing 1,326 tickets.

In 2024, there were 29 fatalities and 137 serious injuries in Minnesota that were attributed to distracted driving.

See the Aftermath of the 1886 St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids and Rice Tornado

Here are some historical pictures taken of the destruction from an F4 tornado/cyclone on the cities of St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids and Rice, Minnesota on April 14, 1886.

Gallery Credit: Brown and Riley, "Cyclone Views: Pictures Sauk Rapids Cyclone" (1886). University and Other Publications. 1.