(WXYZ) — Police are cracking down on Michigan drivers in a statewide campaign to reduce the number of speeding-related crashes and deaths seen throughout the state.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a drastic rise in speed-related crashes. In 2021 there were 237 fatal crashes where speed was the factor, an 18.5% increase from 2020.
Some Michigan drivers think this crackdown can be a good thing, especially in the midst of the holiday season.
This speed enforcement campaign starts Thursday, December 1, and will continue through February 28, 2023.
According to authorities, a majority of these speed-related crashes are happening on non-interstate roads.
According to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, in 2021, 10.2% of drivers in the 15 to 20-year-old age range were involved in speed-related crashes. 13.3% of unrestrained drivers involved in crashes were speeding, and in 2021 there were 24,555 speed-related crashes, a 10.3% increase from 2020.