After Enhancing Safety Efforts, a Stretch of Highway 7 Saw Zero Deaths in 2025

(Learfield News/Minneapolis, MN) — A stretch of Highway 7 recorded zero traffic deaths in 2025, a dramatic improvement after years of safety concerns.

The 18-mile stretch from Hopkins to just west of St. Bonifacius saw five fatal crashes in 2024.

In response, the Highway 7 Safety Coalition invested in a new AI-powered camera enforcement system, funded through a state grant.

The technology detects drivers holding phones or failing to wear seat belts, allowing for quicker intervention and enforcement.

Coalition members also reviewed each fatal crash to identify both immediate and long-term safety improvements.

Those combined efforts, they say, contributed to the highway’s fatality-free year.