Toward Zero Deaths has local impact

Under a special statewide program, Waseca County Sheriff deputies spend as much as 20 hours in some months on patrols designated to watch for specific driving dangers—for example, speeding, driving under the influence, failure to use seat belts or car seats, and hands-free violations.

 

As Waseca County Sheriff Jay Dulas explains, “Toward Zero Deaths” is a federally funded initiative managed within Minnesota by the state office of traffic safety. Under the program, enforcement agencies are reimbursed the cost of the hourly wages of sheriff deputies, police officers and highway patrol staff who follow the program’s guidelines. One of the first steps is taking part in targeted in-person training sessions which help the officer recognize typical warning signs associated with specific unsafe driving habits.

 

Another requirement is that, when on Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) patrols, officers are attending only to the designated behavior. If the state has named, for example, seat belt usage as the target behavior for the month, the officer is looking only for drivers failing to follow the laws associated with seat belts and car seats. Along with that, the patrol is in addition to the department’s regular shifts, so that the TZD officer is not expected to respond to other enforcement tasks, for example, security checks or complaints of someone disturbing the peace.

 

“There are no quotas or anything like that,” Dulas says regarding the patrols. “They are out there to raise awareness about safe driving habits.” He goes on to say it’s an important task. “Being pulled over and either getting a ticket or a warning from an officer can have a lasting impact.

 

“Changing someone’s habits today could be preventing who knows how many devastating incidents in the future.”

 

He mentions that the sheriff’s department has been thanked by parents of young drivers who have seen a change in the way their teens drive.

 

Officers do submit a summary of their activity during the TZD patrols to the state. Numbers are compiled to look for a cause/effect relationship, over time, between the number of interactions and the number of future incidents involving the specific driving infraction.

 

The stated goal of the TZD program is that, by 2030, no more than 225 people die in crashes on Minnesota roadways and fewer than 980 experience serious injuries.  If a trend which began in 2003 had continued, the state might be experiencing more than 900 deaths a year, but “the statewide TZD program was launched as a deliberate, interdisciplinary approach to traffic safety. Despite increases in the number of licensed drivers, registered motor vehicles, and vehicle miles traveled, there were just over 360 traffic deaths in Minnesota in 2025—a 43 percent reduction from 2003,” according to a “TZD Overview” available online.

 

Dulas goes on to say typical law-abiding drivers are often unaware of the many ways people disobey and sometimes even flaunt the rules of the road. “For every safety feature and every law,” he observes, “people find a way to circumvent it.” He mentions ways he has seen people disable the warning signal meant to remind people to wear their seatbelts.

 

Such choices, however, should not be considered “solutions.”

 

He tells of an accident in the region within the past few months that occurred after one of the back tires of a pickup blew out. The truck went into the ditch and rolled over; neither occupant was wearing a seatbelt. Both were ejected from the vehicle and one of them was killed. 

 

“That’s exactly the type of tragedy the TZD program is hoping to reduce,” he observes.

 

Dulas says he believes the TZD patrols do make a difference. For one thing, he says, they are often employed during times when a lot of people are on the road—holidays, special events like prom or homecoming, and long weekends. At times, there are likely to be two or three local law enforcement officers taking part in TZD activities, since the sheriff’s department and the Waseca and Janesville police departments all participate.

 

He also believes a single traffic stop has a circle of influence which goes beyond one warning or ticket. “It provides a good reminder to do the right thing,” he says. “People see us, or hear others talking about the incident.

 

“Because they’ve learned we’re out there, they pay more attention to their driving habits.”