(WWJ) - If you feel the need to speed on Southfield Freeway, police said there's no excuse that will get you out of ticket as officers look to crack down on reckless driving Thursday.
Troopers are out along the 16-mile stretch of M-39 to enforce the freeway's 55 mph speed limit, which officers said is in place for a reason.
"One of the places that we get the most complaints from people that live in this area or travel back and forth to work is the Southfield Freeway," MPS 1st Lt. Mike Shaw said in a social media post on Thursday.
Shaw explained that speeders create potentially life-threatening crashes along the highway and there is no need for any driver to go faster than the posted speed limit.
"Anybody that's driven the Southfield has seen on rush hour... [people] driving so fast they go over one of the dips in the freeway and the next thing the traffic is stopped in front of them and they're involved in a rear-end crash," Shaw said. "Or end up trying to jump on the shoulder and either hitting someone stopped there trying to change a tire or running into an abandoned vehicle that's on the side of the road."
Shaw warned motorists that police will not be "cutting too many breaks."
The lieutenant said people who were pulled over provided a wide variety of excuses, including:
• Didn’t know the speed limit
• No one drives 55 so just change the limit
• Shouldn’t have urban freeways
• It’s the end of the month
• Can’t you fix the potholes?
According to police, none of the above got drivers out of tickets.
"We're not going to punish those that are following the law, we're actually going to punish those that are breaking the law," Shaw said.
The enforcement will last all of Thursday, with some troopers set up near Ford Road earlier in the day. Updates to traffic apps show a number of police set up all along the highway.
As of 4:30 p.m., troopers made 75 traffic stops, issues 64 citations with one felony child abuse warrant, two misdemeanor warrants. They also caught 22 drivers driving on suspended licenses.
Shaw reminded drivers to "drive Michigan Safely and 55 is the way to go."
"Hopefully we will not see you out here today," he added.