MSP taking ‘zero tolerance’ approach to dangerous driving on I-94

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. -- As traffic starts to increase for the summer season, Michigan State Police troopers will be patrolling more intently along I-94 to stop dangerous driving.

According to the state police, the number of vehicle crashes and commercial vehicle crashes along I-94 went up again in 2017.

Because of this, troopers will spend the spring and summer actively looking for things like distracted and aggressive driving, following too closely, improper lane use and excessive speed.

I-94 is the main thoroughfare between Detroit and Chicago, so traffic picks up substantially in the summer months because of trips to the cities and Lake Michigan.

Michigan State Police says vehicle crashes on the interstate went up 7-percent in 2017, to a total of 6,453.

And crashes involving commercial vehicles climbed 10-percent, to 856.

“Most crashes are preventable, and the dangerous behaviors we see on I-94 need to change,” said Col. Kriste Etue, the director of MSP, in a press release. “Now is the time to send the message that these dangerous driving behaviors will not be tolerated.”