Crackdown on Speeding Nets 14K Citations in Minnesota

ST. PAUL (AP) -- A driver ``trying to make it to Taco Bell before it closed'' at 99 mph is among the thousands of motorists cited for speeding in Minnesota last month.

It was part of a statewide crackdown on speeding and unsafe driving between July 6 and July 22. Minnesota Department of Public Safety data shows law enforcement agencies issued 14,661 speeding tickets and 1,625 seatbelt citations in that time.

Wednesday's release of the data includes reasons drivers gave officers for speeding. They range from a person ``wanting to go fast'' on a new motorcycle and going 120 mph, to person driving nearly 30 mph over a 55-mph speed limit and saying they were ``nowhere near the speed limit.''

State officials say unsafe speeds factored in 22 percent of single-vehicle crashes last year.