Icy morning prompts warning to slow down
One trooper struck head on; another pulls motorist from burning car
Driver safety is on the agenda for state police after Tuesday’s early morning mayhem on bridges and highways in our first taste of driving on icy or slick roads.
Tuesday saw some drastic events involving Michigan State Police troopers, as the agency was able to share video of one trooper being struck head on by a car whose driver had lost control on the ice and another video of a trooper pulling a motorist from a burning vehicle.
And Wednesday, they shared data about roadway deaths as well as reminders of safety tips all drivers should consider when behind the wheel.
First, in Oakland County, a trooper stopped on northbound Sashabaw Road at 7 a.m. Tuesday was struck by a southbound Chevy Impala head on driven by an 18-year- old Pontiac woman.
“The driver lost control, crossed the center line and struck The patrol car head on deploying the air bags in both vehicles,” state police tweeted. “The female driver and her passenger had minor injuries but refused treatment. The trooper was not hurt. Please slow down on ice and snow.”
Video of the head- on crash was shared on Twitter, and you can watch it at twitter.com/mspmetrodet.
“This is the reason it is important to drive slow on ice and snow,” the state police tweeted with the dash cam video. “You can lose control of your car or SUV very quickly and end up in a single vehicle crash or hit someone else.”
Second, and also on Tuesday morning, a trooper from the Brighton state police post came up on an accident that had just occurred on Ann Arbor Road over I-275 in Wayne County.
The car involved in the accident with semi-truck was just starting to burn, and the trooper first ran back to his patrol car to retrieve a fire extinguisher. Then, as the dash cam video showed, he disappeared behind the smoke and growing fire in the car, and then he is seen dragging a man from the car as the first enlarged.
“The man from Plymouth is alive and in stable condition at a local hospital,” the state police tweeted. “The cause of the crash was due to traveling too fast for conditions on icy roads. The man was with his grandson, a 5-year-old boy who received minor injuries. Nice job, Trooper Drewyor.”
Describing the run of crashes, particularly on bridges over highways, which freeze or ice up more quickly, as a “debacle,” the state police sought to remind us all about safe driving.
“So, let’s cover some winter driving,” the state police tweeted. “There were 220,526 winter- related crashes between 2015 and 2019. Many of them could have been avoided if drivers had just slowed down.”
The key is remembering to slow down so you don’t find out the roads are slick when you lose control.
On Wednesday, the state police noted that so far this year 901 people have died on Michigan roads, 43 more than last year at this time even though there have been 22 percent few traffic crashes.
Data has shown that with fewer people driving during periods of lockdown, it is easier to drive faster, which makes accidents more severe and provides a higher likelihood of serious injury or death, according to a report by the Detroit Free Press looking at data provided by the Michigan State Police.