Michigan police stepping up speed enforcement to curb speed-related fatalities
(CBS DETROIT) - To curb the rise in speed-related fatalities, Michigan State Police, as well as county and municipal police agencies across the state, are stepping up speed enforcement June 17-25.
According to the state, in 2021, there were 237 speed-related fatalities on state roads - an increase of 18.5% over 2020, when 200 people died on Michigan roads.
The number of traffic crashes in Michigan rose from 245,432 in 2020 to 282,640 in 2021 - an increase of 15%. Fatalities also rose from 1,131 in 2021 compared to 1,083 in 2020.
"Speeding continues to be a critical issue in Michigan that leads to many needless crashes, serious injuries and fatalities on our roadways," said Katie Bower, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. "We are in the busy, warm-weather travel season with many families driving to their favorite destinations to enjoy the summer break. Unfortunately, there will be some drivers on the road who put everyone at risk by speeding and driving recklessly, making crashes more likely. These vital speed-enforcement periods help lessen the impact of those dangerous, impatient drivers."
According to speed-involved data from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, in 2021:
- 13.3 percent of unrestrained drivers involved in crashes were speeding.
- 10.2 percent of drivers in the 15- to 20-year-old age group involved in crashes were speeding. This is higher than the overall speeding-driver rate of 5.2 percent in 2021.
- There were 24,555 speed-related crashes, which is a 10.3 percent increase from the 22,260 speed-related crashes in 2020.