Michigan Law Enforcement Agencies Stepping Up Speed Enforcement

In an effort to address an increase in fatal traffic crashes, the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning announced Tuesday a new campaign, with more than 100 municipal, county, and Michigan State Police law enforcement agencies focusing on speeding drivers from Dec. 1 through Feb. 28, 2022.

The campaign is being funded by federal traffic safety funds.

While the state has seen a 22% reduction in traffic crashes in 2020 compared to 2019, Michigan saw an increase in fatal traffic crashes. Data from the MSP Criminal Justice Information Center shows that 1,083 people died from crashes on Michigan roads in 2020, which is a 10% increase from 2019, which saw 985 deaths. Michigan also saw an 8% increase in speed-related fatalities in 2020.

“Despite the fact there have been less miles traveled, the fatality rate rose. And crash data shows that speed may have been a factor in many of these preventable crashes,” said Michael L. Prince, OHSP director, in a statement. “It’s no secret the faster you drive, the greater your risk of dying in a crash. We hope increased enforcement over the coming months will help change these dangerous driving behaviors and save lives.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a crash on a road with a speed limit of 65 mph or greater is more than twice as likely to result in a fatality than a crash on a road with a speed limit of 45 or 50 mph. Nationally in 2019, 9,478 traffic fatalities involved crashes in which one or more drivers were speeding.

According to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, in Michigan during 2020:

• Of male drivers involved in all traffic crashes, 6.4 percent were speeding.
• 15.2 percent of motorcycle operators involved in fatal crashes were speeding.
• 11.2 percent of drivers aged 15 to 20 involved in crashes (4,650 out of 41,685) were speeding.
• Out of all drivers who were drinking in crashes, 15.1 percent were speeding.
• Recent insurance industry studies show that approximately 112,000 speeding tickets are issued each day, or about 41 million per year. The average fine for a speeding violation is between $115-$135.