According to the report from TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit based in Washington DC, the number of traffic fatalities in Michigan has increased by 15% from 2019 to 2022 and the fatality rate per 100 million Vehicle Miles of Travel increased 22 percent.
Rocky Moretti is the Director of Policy and Research for TRIP. He said the increase is due to drivers exhibiting riskier behavior including speeding, impaired driving, motorcyclists not wearing helmets and distracted driving.
He said enforcement of all traffic laws can be beneficial, but other investments are needed as well. This includes adding barriers and rumble strips to roads and improvements in medical care for those involved in crashes.
“Really what’s needed given this epidemic of fatal and serious traffic crashes is really a systematic program that pulls in all those components and enforcement is certainly part of that but you also need safe motorists driving on safe roads,” he said.
Moretti said while Michigan’s traffic deaths are lower than the national average the goal should be zero.
That’s a target Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has said the state aims to achieve by 2050. She made the statement last week while signing legislation aimed at curbing distracted driving by prohibiting the use of cellphones while driving.
The new law goes into effect June 30th.
