Washtenaw County’s Most Dangerous Intersections For Auto Accidents

 

The Washtenaw Area Transportation Study has recently compiled a list of the County’s most dangerous intersections based on MichiganState Police crash data.  These intersections have very high volumes of traffic. Washtenaw County Road Commissioner, Roy Townsend, said that the study will help determine which intersections may need safety improvements.  Additionally, Townsend said that with high volumes come delays.  With delays people at these intersections take more chances and, thus, there are more auto accidents.  The County Road Commission is continuing to evaluate these dangerous intersections for additions of safety features such as additional turn lanes, relocation of driveways and, in some instances, building roundabouts.

The transportation study used two factors to determine the ranking:  total crashes at the intersection and the accident rate per million cars.  The top ten are as follows: 

1. West Michigan and Capenter Roads (total crashes 113 / year & 2.7 per mill.).
2. Washtenaw Avenue and Golfside Drive (total crashes 119 / year & 2.6 per mill.).
3. Carpenter Road and Packard Road (total crashes 114 / year & 2.0 per mill.).
4. Jackson Road and S. Zeeb Road (total crashes 78 / year & 2.1 per mill).
5. Platt Road and Michigan Avenue (total crashes 78 / year & 1.9 per mill).
6. Washtenaw Ave and N. Hewitt Road (total crashes 81 / year & 1.7 per mill).
7. West Michigan and South Huron Street (total crashes 74 / year & 1.9 per mill).
8. Washtenaw Ave and Carpenter Road (total crashes 135 / year & 1.6 per mill).
9. Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. and Lohr Road (total crashes 57 / year & 2.3 per mill).
10. West Michigan and S. Hamilton Street (total crashes 64 / year & 2.0 per mill).

Insurance, Medical, Law-Enforcement and Non-Profit Groups Urge Lawmakers to Repeal the Law that Allows Michigan Motorcyclist to Ride Without a Helmet

About a year ago, April 2012, Governor Snyder signed the law allowing motorcycle drivers to choose to ride without a helmet in Michigan if certain insurance, training, and age requirements were met.  Results of a recently released study by the University of Michigan reveal that the fatality rate for helmet-less riders in crashes was nearly three times higher than for those wearing helmets.  Further, the study concluded that there would have been 26 fewer deaths and 49 fewer serious injuries in Michigan last year had the helmet requirement still been in place.  A total of fifty-five helmet-less riders died in 2012 and 194 were seriously injured.  A coalition including Michigan Health & Hospital Association, the Michigan State Medical Society, Michigan Nurses Association, Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, the Michigan Sheriff’s Association, AAA Michigan, Allstate, Prudential, State Farm, Nationwide Insurance, the Brain Injury Association of Michigan, and other non-profit advocacy groups is requesting that state legislators and the Governor restore Michigan’s mandatory motorcycle helmet law in order tosave lives and avoid serious injuries that can be prevented.   

What to Do If You Are First At the Scene of an Automobile Crash

Retired Ann Arbor Police Detective Rich Kinsey recently wrote an article with steps to follow if you are first at the scene of a serious automobile accident.  http://www.annarbor.com/news/first-on-the-scene-of-a-serious-crash/   

Officer Rich Kinsey recommends the following:

(1). Keep yourself safe and park your car well off the roadway with emergency flashes on (far enough that if there is an explosion your car won’t be involved);

(2). Stay in your car and gather yourself so that your judgment is not clouded by your natural Adrenaline rush;

(3). Call 911 and be prepared to give location and description of the accident scene you can see;

(4). Before getting out of your car look for secondary threats such as oncoming traffic, traffic from behind, and downed electrical wires.  Check your mirrors before opening your car doors;

(5). As you approach the crash look for things like fire or ruptured fuel tanks;

(6). Look for injured victims and know your own first-aid capabilities and limitations;

(7). Speak to injured victims in the calmest, lowest, slowest voice possible telling them to not move and that ”help is on the way.”  Calm the victim by asking the victim questions like "is anyone else in the vehicle."  Or ask them their name, age, and other general information about themselves that may be helpful to emergency personnel.  

(8). Be on the look-out for the walking wounded, drunks, and drugged people that may wander out into traffic. Get them to sit down and stay still until emergency responders arrive on the scene;

(9). Call 911 back and update the dispatcher on what  you have found at the scene;

(10). When the police arrive give them your name and contact information and leave the scene when they tell you may leave;

(11). Take care of yourself realizing that you may have trouble sleeping, eating or thinking about the incident.  Talk to a crisis counselor if you continue to experience post-accident issues.       

Washtenaw County Auto Crashes Increase in 2012

A Michigan State Police report released on March 18, 2013 indicates that auto accidents in Washtenaw County went up by about 3 percent in 2012 compared to the previous year.  There were 10,007 auto accidents in 2012 compared to 9,715 in 2011.  Twenty-three persons died in 22 crashes in the county in 2012.  Despite there being an increase in the total number of crashes, there was actually a decrease in auto accident deaths from the previous year.  There were 35 people in Washtenaw County who lost their lives in 2011 compared to the 23 persons who died in 2012.

The total number of traffic fatalities in the entire state increased by 5 percent in 2012 compared with 2011.   Interestingly, the Michigan State Police report noted that teen fatalities in auto accidents in the state decreased by 14 percent, from 99 in 2011 to 85 in 2012.  Additionally, cell-phone involved accidents decreased 9 percent, from 821 in 2011 to 748 in 2012; however, cell-phone-involved fatal crashes increased from 6 in 2011 to 8 in 2012.  

With the repeal of Michigan's helmet law, it is not surprising that the number of motorcycle deaths increased by 18 percent across the state in 2012.  Pedestrians killed by automobiles decreased 5 percent, from 140 in 2011 to 133 in 2012. 

Michigan Senate Passes Bill That Would Allow Self-Driving Cars on Michigan Roads

In an effort to remain a state leader in the auto industry, the Michigan Senate passed Senate Bill 169 this week that, if the Michigan House also passes the bill, would allow manufacturers to test self-driving cars on Michigan  public roads.  Florida, Nevada, and California have already passed similar laws.  The Michigan Bill requires that a human operator be present in the self-driving car to assume control in case of an emergency.   Governor Synder, during his recent State of the State speech, challenged the Legislature to pass an autonomous driving law to allow Michigan to retain its claim as the "automotive capitol of the world." Legislators believe that this Bill will get some minor tweaking in the House and then be sent to the Governor's desk for signing into law by the end of March. 

Some manufacturers believe that because crash avoidance technology has progressed so rapidly that there could be self-driving cars that will be ready for the public marketplace and public roadways within only a few years rather than being decades away.  If this is true then the Legislators should begin working on new legislation that will decide who becomes liable for damages caused by self-driving cars that do not avoid a crash and injure passengers or occupants of other vehicles. Additionally, the Legislature needs to come up with modifications to the No-Fault law for the division of responsibilities between insurance companies when two or more autonomous vehicles collide due to technical malfunctions or human error in programming the self-driving cars.  Technology experts speak about a future where the slow adopter of technology that still utilizes a human driver could be the most dangerous and unpredictable vehicle on the road.   These slow adopters may have to pay more for insurance just for the privilege of driving his / her own car.  Americans' stubborn independence and love-of-driving may be what slows this future prediction of highways full of autonomous driving vehicles.  

Dangerous Stretch of I-94, East of Jackson

For years, travelers and others along I-94 in southeastern Michigan have been pushing for construction on the freeway around the intersection of I-94 and Kalmbach road.  Going east from Jackson, the freeway makes a hard right, only to immediately turn back.  Ideally, it would be straightened out such that  the dangerous curve, past Kalmbach road east of Jackson, would be eliminated.

An investigation began in 2004 which concluded that this stretch had the second-highest number of auto accidents in Washtenaw County from 2005-2007.  In an article on Mlive.com, 48,5000 cars traveled per day on this section of I-94 near Kalmbach road during the study period. According to the Washtenaw Area Transportation Study, in 2007 there were 87 crashes, in 2006, 57 wrecks, and in 2005, 68.

The state hesitates to fix this section of road because it has limited money to undertake such projects.  If there is no identified money that can be used to fix a problem like this, then the state will not initiate a study to determine what needs to be done to realign the section of freeway.  If there are no future plans to change this stretch of highway then travelers should use caution and slow down when driving around I-94 east of Jackson, because statistically, this section in southeastern Michigan is one of the most accident-prone.

Reconsidering the Legal Driving Level of Blood Alcohol Content

A law is currently being considered in the Michigan House of Representatives that would keep the blood alcohol content level at .08 instead of raising it to .1. In 2003, a law was passed which decreased the legal driving level of blood alcohol content (BAC) to .08, but that is set to expired on October 1st, 2013.

The negotiating process started today, February 13th, in the House Criminal Justice Committee.  Supporters of the bill, argue that the lower BAC threshold has been an important reason why drinking and driving deaths and injuring auto accidents have significantly decreased in the State of Michigan.

Failing to pass the bill would also result in the Michigan Department of Transportation losing an estimated $50 million an article on Mlive stated. Under the 2003 bill, the federal government promised money to states in exchange for their moving the legal limit to .08. Michigan already struggles to repair its roads and highways.  However, more important than money are lives saved.  Today Mothers Against Dunk Driving and others are advocating for the .08 BAC level to remain where it is.  Follow this link to the State of Michigan's webpage which outlines the current substance abuse policy.