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The Albert Lea Police Department and the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office are participating in a statewide speeding reduction program through the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety.

The program allows agencies to “look for speeders jeopardizing the lives of themselves and others,” according to Albert Lea police Lt. Jeff Strom. The state agency allocates federal overtime funding for the increased patrols.

“Our health care resources need to be available for treating COVID-19,” Strom said in a release. “Minnesotans can ensure those resources are available by driving smart and obeying the speed limit.”

Strom also said twice as many speed-related fatal crashes occur on rural roads than major urban roads.

He reminds drivers that reduced speeds allow for more vehicle control and more time to respond to road situations. It also decreases the severity of crashes.

Motorists should maintain a 3-second following distance, and remember that it takes more than the length of a football field to stop when traveling 60 mph.