Minnesota drivers beware, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has been busy tweaking intersections and roadways to enhance safety, but the results are a mixed bag. In recent years, MnDOT rolled out several safety features like lane constrictor intersections, retroreflective signal backplates, and J-turn layouts, tackling the persistent problem of road safety through engineering ingenuity.

One such innovation, the lane constrictor intersections, introduced between 2018 and 2019 at 66 spots looks promising. These devices, which narrow the road to slow traffic, seemed to make a dent in the severity of crashes. "Overall crash rates saw little change but there were decreases in fatal and injury crashes," as noted by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Still, they didn't magically stop accidents from happening and the jury is out on how much safer our streets have become.

Then there are the yellow backplates with retroreflective borders, added to 116 intersections since 2016. Designed to catch a driver's eye better than a squirrel on a skateboard, they were supposed to cut down crash rates by 15%. Yet MnDOT's signals were so visible to begin with that adding reflective bling "made little difference," research found. Seems like that particular upgrade may not have been the best bang for the taxpayer's buck.

The J-turn is another story. These smartly designed intersections, which prevent direct left turns and crossing traffic, have been popping up all over the place since 2010. With 83 installed to date, the results are nothing to sneeze at: "decreases in fatal and serious injury crashes, angle crashes, and fatal and serious injury angle crashes," as per the Minnesota Department of Transportation. It's a thumbs up for the J-turn then, which looks like it's living up to the safety hype.