The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department is conducting an enhanced enforcement period in search of drivers who are going too fast. The department says since the pandemic began more than two years ago, police agencies across Michigan have reported an alarming rise in speeding and fatal crashes. As a result, the sheriff’s department and dozens of other law enforcement agencies across Michigan will conduct overtime speed enforcement between December 1 and February 28. Sheriff Paul Bailey says the department sees people speeding every day, and it’s urging everyone to obey the speed limit. Those who choose not to will be ticketed. In Michigan, the number of traffic crashes rose from 245,000 in 2020 to 282,000 in 2021, an increase of 15%. Of those, 24,000 were speed-related crashes, which is a 10% increase from 2020. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, local roads are more dangerous than highways for speeders with 87% of all speed-related traffic fatalities in 2020 on non-interstate roads. Everyone is advised to slow down before the police notice.
