TROY, Mich. (WWJ) -- The Troy Police Department is reminding the public to pay attention on the roads.
Troy Police Sgt. Meghan Lehman says the number of accidents along I-75 in Troy is pacing about the same as this time last year. But that’s an issue, considering one thing: the traffic volume, Lehman says, is about half of what it was a year ago because of the construction happening along the interstate.
The interstate is down to two-way traffic sharing the southbound lanes as crews work on reconstructing the northbound side.
Lehman says there were 21 crashes along I-75 in Troy during the month of May -- 11 of which were rear-end crashes.
"A lot of them, are during rush hour and more than half of them are rear-end crashes," Lehman told WWJ. "What that tells me is that those are almost entirely preventable, because it’s just a matter of paying attention."
"We tell drivers to pay attention at all times, but especially when you’re in a construction zone."
Lehman says if you hit someone, in all likelihood, you will get a ticket.
"The only defense to a rear-end crash is that the driver in front of you was backing up. In my 15 years of being a police officer, I’ve never seen one happen like that," she said.
The construction has made it even more difficult to deal with crashes along the interstate.
"To get a tow truck up there, police up there and get it cleared off, it has been causing delays," Lehman said.