Towards Zero Deaths Partners with law enforcement across Minnesota for Distracted Driving Month

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - The Mankato Department of Public Safety and Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office are partnering with Towards Zero Death for Distracted Driving Month, which began with the start of April on Wednesday.

As part of the campaign, an increased law enforcement presence will be patrolling on Highway 169 from the Canada border to Iowa, and the Department of Public Safety will be partnering with TZD to hold workshops like the Impact Teen Driver program and Stop the Distractions.

Patrol Officer Chad Honetschlager says TZD helps to pay for officer overtime to allow one to four extra patrol cars to be on the road to specifically look out for distracted drivers.

“An increase of enforcement, we’re writing more citations, obviously having more contacts with people, but unfortunately we’re not seeing a decline in the use of cell phones,” Honetschlager said.

That increased enforcement will also include a new unmarked $100,000 pickup truck the department acquired back in August 2025, with help from a grant provided by the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety.

Honetschlager says an unmarked vehicle will allow local patrols to get a better idea of how much distracted driving is actually going on in the community.

State TZD Program and Operations Manager Annette Larson says as part of the month-long campaign, TZD has also educated 10,000 students across the state over the past three years, and she hopes this next push can help a new generation learn about the risks.

“Impact Teen Driver encourages our teens, their friends and families to make good decisions every time they get behind the wheel,” Larson said.

It’s a lesson that the Department of Public Safety says is getting more relevant as a new generation of drivers hit the road, one which never grew up without access to a smart phone.

The Blue Earth County Sheriff’s office says over the past five years there have been 33,000 crashes across the state, and in 2025 there were 21 distracted driving related fatalities.

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