The Minnesota House pushed through legislation Tuesday that would expand automatic driver’s license suspensions in cases where excessive speeding alone—without the involvement of drugs or alcohol—causes a fatal crash or serious injury.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove, seeks to close what she described as a “gap in the law” that allows drivers charged in deadly high-speed crashes to keep their licenses unless impairment is a factor.
“As you all know, there’s record amounts of high rates of speed causing accidents in our communities. There’s just this gap where if the only cause is speed—not speed plus alcohol or drugs—it doesn’t rise to the level that would require automatic suspension of a driver’s license,” she said.
Robbins explained that under the bill, if excessive speed is the sole factor in a fatal crash or a case of criminal vehicular operation, the state would be required to suspend the driver’s license. If the driver is later convicted, the license would then be revoked.
The bill also removes a provision giving a person credit toward a license revocation for time during which the person’s license was suspended.
During the hearing, legislators referenced an Alpha News report by Liz Collin which was cited as an example of how families of crash victims have struggled with legal loopholes allowing reckless drivers to continue operating vehicles.
At the time, Collin spoke to the family of Sandy Wetterlind who was killed in 2022 when Christopher Keyes—a repeat speeding offender driving without a license—was traveling over 90 mph and slammed into her car, as court documents indicate.
“The individual who killed our grandmother and was charged with criminal vehicular homicide was allowed the privilege to legally drive up until the time of conviction, almost 15 months later,” Wetterlind’s family wrote in a letter to the editor last October.
Emotional testimony from victim’s family
The hearing included testimony from Wetterlind’s family—son-in-law Mark Roe and grandson Matt Whalen—who shared the story of the May 2022 crash.
“My mother-in-law … was heading over to see [her husband in memory care] and it was about three in the afternoon, and the person that hit her was driving in a 45-mile-an-hour zone, going 95 miles an hour four seconds before he hit her and killed her on the spot,” Roe testified.
He detailed the driver’s prior record of seven excessive speeding violations and multiple instances of driving with a suspended or revoked license. Despite this, he said, the driver was initially let go and served only eight months in a workhouse.
“I just think this is a huge issue with people out on the road driving with no license, [or a] suspended license, speeding,” Roe said. “Driving a car is a privilege, it’s not guaranteed by the state of Minnesota.”
Whalen also testified, saying that his grandmother’s death exposed major flaws in the legal system.
“Basically, everything points back to the law and the way the law is stated,” Whalen told lawmakers. “The individual that was doing 95 mph did not intend to kill somebody that day, so therefore the punishment is reduced … instead of the minimum four years of felony crime, the punishment was reduced to one year in the workhouse.”
He described the emotional toll of seeing the driver back in the community.
“He lives one block away from us, so we got to watch him enjoy his freedom while our grandma was dead for at least a year and a half before he was actually convicted,” Whalen said. “And after the fact, he was only punished with one year in the workhouse. Eight months in there, he was out.”
Lawmakers express support
Members of the Minnesota House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee expressed their condolences and voiced support for the bill.
“We did have a chance to talk about it last year and I remain supportive,” said Rep. Kelly Moller, DFL-Shoreview. “I want to offer my apologies—our apologies—for what happened and just our appreciation for you being here today.”
Robbins concluded by urging passage of the measure.
“I greatly appreciate your support,” she told the committee. “Families have been through a lot, and to be able to finally get this bill over the finish line is a measure of comfort, and I hope it will help other families not have to face this.”
The bill was unanimously approved and now moves to the House Transportation Committee for further consideration.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
