(WWJ) -- Michigan is taking measures to combat an alarming rise in speed-related fatal crashes that began over a year ago with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Region 5 Office are partnering with five other states on the “Great Lakes, High Stakes” traffic safety campaign.
Between June 19 and June 27, more than 30 city, county, and state law enforcement agencies in Michigan will turn their focus to speeding drivers.
Throughout the nation in 2019, nearly 9,500 traffic fatalities involved crashes in which one or more drivers were speeding.
“Despite the fact that there were less miles traveled in 2020, the fatality rate rose -- and speed may have been a key factor,” said Michael L. Prince, director of the OHSP. “We’ve said for decades that ‘speed kills,’ and the alarming data for 2020 confirms that the faster you drive the greater your risk of dying in a crash."
Michigan has seen a 22% reduction in traffic crashes -- 245,432 in 2020 compared to 314,377 in 2019 -- but there has also been an increase in fatalities.
Data from the MSP Criminal Justice Information Center shows that 1,083 people died from crashes on Michigan roads in 2020, a 10% increase from 2019.
In 2020, there were 200 speed-related fatalities on Michigan roadways compared to 185 in 2019.
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