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LANSING -- Law enforcement agencies across the state recently issued 2,941 speeding citations and 2,353 warnings as part of a regional traffic safety initiative, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.
The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Region 5 Office partnered with five other states -- Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin -- as part of the "Great Lakes, High Stakes" campaign. From June 19 to June 27, more than 50 municipal, county and Michigan State Police law enforcement agencies focused on stopping speeding drivers.
Preliminary numbers show that in addition to the speeding citations and speed-violation warnings, there were also 314 seat belt violation citations issued. Among motorists taken off the roads were 109 drivers arrested for operating while intoxicated and 25 arrested for operating under the influence of drugs, officials said in the release.
Law enforcement agencies cited "numerous examples of risky and dangerous driving" in the news release, including:
≤ The Chippewa County Sheriff's Office reported a semi-truck going 86 mph on M-28.
≤ During nine traffic stops by the MSP Grand Rapids Post in a 55 mph zone, all of the motorists were driving 70 mph or more.
≤ The Hazel Park Police Department reported that of the 111 speeding citations issued, two were for 20 to 24 mph over the speed limit; four were for 25 to 29 mph over the speed limit; five for 30 to 39 mph over; one for 40 mph over; and one for 60 mph over the speed limit -- 100 mph in a 40.
While Michigan has seen a 22% reduction in traffic crashes -- 245,432 in 2020 compared to 314,377 in 2019 -- there has been a spike in fatalities, officials said. Crash data from the MSP Criminal Justice Information Center indicates 1,083 people died from crashes on Michigan roads in 2020, a 10% increase over 2019, when 985 deaths were reported. In 2020, there were 200 speed-related fatalities on Michigan roadways compared to 185 in 2019, an 8% increase.