WARREN (WWJ) – Nearly 100 citations were handed out along the I-696 corridor as Michigan State Police cracked down on distracted drivers Thursday.
MSP officials made 106 traffic stops during Operation Text You Later along I-696 between I-94 and Dequindre. The operation aimed to reduce texting and driving, as well as other "bad behaviors" that lead to crashes.
In addition to 98 tickets issued Thursday, MSP officials say they gave out 46 verbal warnings and made one misdemeanor arrest. Officials did not specify any details about the tickets or the arrest.
Two drivers fled from traffic stops and troopers did not pursue, officials said.
The top speeding citation Thursday was for a driver going 98 mph in a 70 mph zone. MSP officials said they also issued multiple tickets for drivers going 95 and 96 mph.
MSP First Lt. Mike Shaw said the goal of this crackdown is to reduce the amount of crashes along the I-696 corridor that are caused by these bad behaviors.
He added in a tweet: "As always #DriveMichiganSafely and be nice to others! The weekend is almost here!"
Meanwhile, MSP said Operation "Stay Alive on I-75" is also continuing through the weekend along I-75, from the Upper Peninsula all the way down to the Ohio state line. This initiative is part of the statewide Drive Toward Zero Deaths traffic safety campaign, which is based on the national strategy on highway safety that seeks to reduce the number of traffic deaths nationwide.
MSP said troopers will focus on violations that are most likely to contribute to a crash, which include distracted driving, following too close, improper passing, speeding, improper lane use and slow down and move over violations.
MSP First Lt. Mike Shaw said we're at a 15-year high for fatalities on Michigan roadways, with more than 1,100 people killed in 2021.
Shaw said on his way to a media briefing ahead of Thursday's operation, he was passed in his fully marked MSP Tahoe by a speeding driver, who told him "I thought you would give me 9 mph."
"That's not true. The speed limit's the speed limit," Shaw said.
The Lt. says a trooper recently stopped a woman who was trying to eat Smucker's jelly straight out of the jar.
"There's all kinds of weird things that we see drivers do, other than drive," Shaw said.
