Last summer, August 1–4, 2014, the Minnesota State Patrol (MSP) spearheaded a 4-day, 5,600-mile, 15-state effort to completely eliminate traffic deaths on Interstates 90 and 94 during the I-90/94 Challenge. Interest was high from coast to coast, participation was extraordinary—a Minnesota trooper remarked, “You needed a reservation to sit in a median crossover”—and the results were significant.

On two major interstates that averaged 524 crashes and 3 fatalities August 1–4 over the last three years, 13 of the 15 participating states reported no fatal crashes at all, although single fatalities did occur in Montana and Ohio. Over four days, troopers, deputies, and police officers investigated 427 crashes and issued 21,214 warnings and citations. The positive, nationwide media coverage that resulted was powerful.¹