Why Memorial Day 2016 Could Be Deadly (And What Police Are Doing About It)

Motorists driving to their holiday destinations can expect to see more police on Michigan roads and freeways during what experts warn could be the deadliest Memorial Day weekend since 2009.

The National Safety Council cited a combination of factors — from an improved economy marked by lower unemployment and cheaper gas to an increase in traffic fatalities nationwide — in its prediction that 439 people will die and another 50,000 people will be injured in traffic accidents this weekend.

The estimate is based on an 8 percent increase in traffic fatalities in 2015 compared with 2014, the largest year-over-year increase in 50 years, the National Safety Council said.

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Also, the group said, Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer, always a dangerous time on the nation’s roads, and certain crash factors, such as speeding and alcohol, are more common during the summer, too.

Last year in Michigan, eight people died in six fatal crashes over the holiday period, a decline from previous years.

Michigan Police Have Their Eyes Peeled

Police aren’t just looking for Michigan motorists who fail to buckle over the Memorial Day weekend, though extra patrols from state, county and local jurisdictions do have their eyes peeled for that potential deadly violation.

[RECIR]The extra presence on Michigan’s roads and freeways this weekend is also a warning to drunken and other impaired and reckless drivers, according to a statement from the Michigan State Police.

Besides the previously announced Click It Or Ticket seatbelt enforcement initiative, patrols will be taking part in Operation C.A.R.E (Combined Accident Reduction Effort), a nationwide effort that focuses on aggressive and impaired driving,

State police director Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue said in a statement that law enforcement officers will take a "zero-tolerance approach to unbuckled motorists" under both campaigns.

An estimated 38 million Americans are expected to take off on road trip excursions this Memorial Day weekend, an increase of 700,000 compared to a year ago, according to the auto club AAA. That is the second-highest Memorial Day travel volume on record and the most since 2005. Nearly 34 million (89 percent) holiday travelers will drive to their Memorial Day destinations, an increase of 2.1 percent over last year.

About 1.2 million Michiganders will drive to their Memorial Day destination, AAA said.

Image credit: James Palinsad via Flickr / Creative Commons