MDOT Joins National Driver Safety Campaign

The Michigan Department of Transportation is now part of a national campaign designed to reduce traffic fatalities. “Toward Zero Deaths” aims to let everyone know that 90% of fatal crashes occur because of a driver’s behavior. MDOT’s Jeff Cranson tells WSJM News there were more than a thousand traffic deaths in Michigan last year.

“These are crashes,” Cranson said. “They’re not accidents. They happen, almost always, because the driver is not paying attention or the driver makes errors, and we do make errors. No doubt about it, we’re just humans. But it’s something we have to be thinking about that it’s because of our behaviors that crashes happen.”

Cranson tells us the biggest problem, and a growing one, is distracted driving. MDOT is now engaging in more outreach to drivers, telling them to put down their phones. It’s also released a new video with some tips and statistics. You can see it below.