Minnesota traffic deaths rise in first half of 2026: Report

article Traffic on Interstate Highway 35 (I-35) in Burnsville, Minn., on Thursday, April 2, 2026. Highway signs direct drivers to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. (Photo by Elizabeth Flores/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images) The Brief Minnesota recorded 178 traffic deaths during the first six months of 2026, up from the same time last year, according to new federal data. Despite the increase, Minnesota still had the lowest fatality rate in the Midwest. Nationally, traffic deaths dropped by 2.5%. EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (FOX 9) - More people died on Minnesota roads during the first half of 2026 than during the same period last year, going against a downward trend seen across most of the Midwest and the country. Traffic deaths in Minnesota By the numbers: Between January and June, 178 people were killed in crashes across Minnesota, according to a new report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration . That's 14 more deaths than the state saw during the first six months of 2025. Federal officials note these numbers are early estimates and could shift slightly once final state crash reports are processed. READ MORE: DUI rates in the Midwest are high, but which state is the highest? Even with that increase, Minnesota roads remained the safest in the region when factoring in how much people drive. And while the state's fatality rate ticked up slightly from 0.57 to 0.62, it's still well below the national average of 1.02. How Minnesota compares to rest of Midwest Dig deeper: The increase in traffic deaths in Minnesota stands out in a region where roads generally got safer this year, according to NHTSA data. Overall, traffic deaths fell by 6% in the first half of 2026 across the Midwest. Minnesota was one of only four Midwest states to see fatalities go up, alongside North Dakota, Iowa and Ohio. A national drop in traffic fatalities Big picture view: The total number of traffic deaths in the U.S. dropped by 2.5% during the first six months of the year, with 35 states and Puerto Rico reporting fewer fatalities than in early 2025. Crash fatalities fell to an estimated 16,750 from January through June 2026. There were 17,175 fatalities during the same period last year. At the same time, Americans drove more miles than they did during the first half of 2025. With more people on the road and fewer deadly crashes, the nation’s overall fatality rate fell to its second-lowest first-half mark on record. The Source: Information for this article was gathered from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This story was reported in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Traffic Minnesota