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(WWJ) Michigan State Police released the latest statistics on car crashes -- and the numbers are on the rise across the state.
Twenty-seven residents died on Michigan roadways since last week, which brings the total death toll to 599 this year.
Officials say it's 29 more fatalities than last year at this time.
Why? No one knows for sure, but police have said that pandemic driving has been a problem. Multiple people have been nabbed driving at over 100 miles per hour on local freeways.
Just a few weeks ago, a driver was caught going 124 mph in a 55 mph zone on Hagadorn Road in Ingham County near Michigan State University.
With offices and schools closed and fewer people on the road, it may seem safer than ever to head out but the opposite seems to be happening. It's fewer drivers and more crashes.
Because they're not faced with the usual rush-hour crowds, Lt. Michael Shaw told WWJ previously that sometimes drivers may not realize they're speeding. "I think sometimes people get out there and cars these days, they're not as bumpy...And next thing you know you look down and you're going a little bit too fast."
The National Safety Council says the death rate per-mile increased 23% in May after previous increases in April and March.
According the National Traffic Safety Administration, speeding has been involved in approximately one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities for more than two decades.
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