The Michigan Center for Truck Safety has announced a new public awareness campaign aimed at making the highways safer during this Labor Day weekend. Group safety specialist Charlie Culton tells WSJM News crashes involving heavy duty trucks have been trending upward in recent years. About a quarter of all truck or bus crashes occur on freeways, most often in Wayne, Oakland, Berrien, and Kent counties, according to the most recent Michigan State Police data. Culton says the campaign now underway reminds drivers to avoid a semi’s “No Zone.”
“We’re seeing car drivers don’t understand the dynamics of driving around a truck, and we call them the ‘No Zones,’” Culton said. “They’re areas where the truck driver has giant blind spots. Car drivers don’t take that into consideration and they hang out in the No Zones. They also don’t give enough rooms in front of the trucks for them to stop.”
Culton says over the last decade, 9.5% of all crashes in Michigan involving a semi or bus occurred on I-94. Of those crashes, one third took place in Wayne County, followed by 15% in Berrien County. That’s why the center’s campaign is targeting high crash areas with billboards, radio ads, and social media posts.
