Police: Slow down and pay attention
Roundabouts, freeway intersections among most dangerous roadways in county
Drivers might want to look both ways twice before passing through the intersection at Van Dyke Avenue and 11 Mile Road and I-696 in Warren. That intersection tops Michigan Auto Law’s 2021 list of most dangerous intersections in Michigan.
The intersection was ranked number two in 2020, but moved into the top spot in 2021 with 172 crashes and 38 injuries.
Macomb County holds the top three spots on Michigan Auto Law’s 2021 list: the St. Clair Shores intersection at I-94 and 10 Mile Road was second, up from fourth in 2020, with 168 crashes and 42 injuries and the roundabout at 18 ½ Mile Road and Van Dyke Avenue in Sterling Heights dropped from first to third with
168 crashes and 17 injuries.
Michigan Auto Law uses data from the Michigan State Police to assemble its annual list.
Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer said his department has beefed up traffic enforcement at that number one intersection and is also looking at increasing it at the other two Warren intersections that made the list of top 10 most dangerous in Macomb County: 11 Mile Road/I-696 and Hoover Road and 11 Mile/I-696 and Groesbeck Highway.
The Roseville intersection of 11 Mile/I-696 and Gratiot Avenue also made the list.
“What causes the issues at that Van Dyke intersection is the traffic going south backs up for about a half mile in that right lane waiting to turn right onto westbound I-696,” said Dwyer. “People try to cut into that far right lane at the last minute or just make too wide of a turn on to the service drive from another lane and it causes issues.”
Sterling Heights Lt. David Allen, who is in charge of the police department’s traffic division, said he is not surprised crashes at the roundabout at 18 ½ Mile Road and Van Dyke Avenue have ebbed, nor did it come as a revelation the intersection is still high on the list of Michigan’s most dangerous.
“That particular intersection can be confusing because there is a lot going on there,” said Allen. “But the numbers have come down, which I think is due to people getting more familiar with roundabouts in general and because people are traveling at lower speeds when they are going through a roundabout.”
Allen said the majority of injuries that occur in roundabouts are minor and that crashes tend to be of the fender bender variety. He cautions drivers to pay attention when traveling through any roundabout to ensure they are in the correct lane and not pulling out in front of a vehicle that has the right of way.
“Pay attention to what is going on and what capabilities you have with that lane of travel that you’re in,” said Allen. “If a vehicle is in the roundabout and you are at a yield sign, that vehicle in the roundabout has the right of way.
“It is common for people to pull out because they don’t think they have to wait.”
While 168 crashes might sound like a large amount over the course of 12 months, Allen said more than five million vehicles pass through the roundabout at 18 ½ Mile Road annually which means only .00335% of the vehicles passing through that exchange are involved in crashes.
“Lists like that can be a little misleading because they don’t consider the amount of traffic that passes through a particular intersection,” said Allen.
Sgt. Kenneth Rumps, who heads the Macomb County Sheriff’s traffic division, says that countywide, roundabouts have reduced crashes and improved traffic flow.
“When they are new in an area, roundabouts take a little bit of getting used to,” said Rumps. “Once that happens, the accidents start to drop.
“When drivers come to a red light, they know what they need to do but with a roundabout, you have to read the signs and make sure you are in the correct lane to do what you want to do.”
Rumps said he knows some drivers might feel like Clark Griswold in “European Vacation” driving around and around a London, England roundabout trying to figure out how to merge across traffic to the proper exit.
Attorney and Michigan Auto Law CEO Brandon Hewitt does not believe it is a coincidence that six of the top 10 most dangerous intersections in Macomb County involve a freeway overpass.
“You have tons of traffic going in each direction and you have double lights and probably cars not wanting to get stuck on the bridge and trying to beat the light,” said Hewitt. “Many of these intersections probably should be redesigned but that is not a quick process; the planning alone takes a couple of years.”
Although he realizes it may be an unpopular opinion, Hewitt said he is a big fan of roundabouts as well as the “diamond interchanges” like the ones that have been installed on Big Beaver Road at I-75 and on 12 Mile Road and I-75.
In 2020 during the height of the COVID pandemic, Michigan Auto Law data shows traffic crashes at the lowest level since 2010. But as people returned to inperson events and to work, there was a sharp increase.
“It is not just that there are more crashes, but more injury accidents and fatalities,” said Hewitt. “People are driving faster and more aggressively because they got used to doing that during the pandemic when there were less cars on the road; drivers are not adjusting their behavior even though there are more cars on the road.
“They’re driving with a false sense of security because they think the car with all of its technology will do the work for them so they feel like they can look at their phone.”
Authorities agree speed is the number one factor that leads to traffic crashes followed by distracted driving.
“Speeding is definitely our biggest issue and it is a problem everywhere, not just in certain areas,” said Rumps. “Drivers need to understand that speed limits are in place for a reason.”
He added the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office is participating in a special speed enforcement campaign that kicked off Dec. 1 and runs through Feb. 28. The idea is not just to write tickets but to educate drivers on the dangers of speeding.
Rumps, Allen and Hewitt agree that the biggest thing drivers can do to keep themselves safe is to slow down.
“The best advice I have is: slow down and don’t drive distracted,” said Hewitt. “One third of all fatalities happen at an intersection so look both ways twice; you can’t count on the other driver stopping.”