LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State Police are asking drivers to slow their roll this weekend.
AAA's latest holiday travel forecasts 1.7 million Michiganders will travel during the Fourth of July weekend, a 10 percent increase from last year.
Around 1.5 million of those people are expected to travel by car, despite high gas prices.
This year, traffic crashes in Michigan rose 15 percent, and deaths rose from 1,083 in 2020 to 1,131 in 2021.
And nationally in 2020, the number of deadly traffic crashes that involved one of more drivers speeding rose by 18 percent.
To combat speeding, Michigan State Police are increasing their presence until June 26.
“What we're doing is we're increasing our visibility or increasing our patrols, but the sole responsibility falls on the person," Brain Oleksyk, a Michigan State Police lieutenant said. "This campaign is concentrated on a certain number of days, but we are always out there, even after this campaign, specifically looking for people speeding to get the fatalities and serious injuries down from traffic crashes.”
While Michiganders can expect to see more state troopers out, Oleskyk did not say how many more are expected.
Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Neighborhood News, Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines, and Daily Forecasts.
