Bridge Michigan reported this week on some troubling statistics in Michigan that show that police are not making as many arrests for drunk driving and crashes caused by impaired driving are on the rise.

Among key findings:

• Drunk driving arrests in Michigan have dropped 28 percent since 2014, while fatal alcohol- and drug-related crashes have risen 40 percent.
• Experts attribute the rise in crashes to fewer police officers and less traffic enforcement, leading to more dangerous driving behavior.
• In 67 of Michigan’s 83 counties, drunk driving arrests have declined, mirroring a national trend

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Daniel Zimmerman, senior director of government relations and policy for the Washington, D.C.-based Governors Highway Safety Association, talks about the problem.

One initiative that perhaps holds promise for solutions stems from a bipartisan provision in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Section 24220, Public Law 117-58, IIJA) signed into law in 2021. The provision requires a new national safety standard for passive, advanced impaired driving prevention systems in new vehicles.

By now, you may have seen a photo taken high above the Detroit River of two iron workers, one from Canada and one from the United States, shaking hands to mark the completion of the deck on the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with those iron workers, Jason Huggett of Canada and Casey Whitson of Michigan.

Both are second-generation iron workers. Jason’s father helped build the twin span of the Blue Water Bridge linking Port Huron, Michigan, with Sarnia, Ontario. Casey’s father worked on the Renaissance Center in Detroit as well as Joe Louis Arena.

They talk about what working on this once-in-a-lifetime project means to both of them and how honored each of them was to participate in the handshake.

They each spoke about it to the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority after the handshake:

Said Huggett: “I said it was about time we got to shake hands after seeing each other from a distance for almost two years, it was really something special. That handshake means a lot to my family, my two sons and my father, who helped build the twin span for the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia.”

And Whitson: “We would see each other, but we were far, across the river, apart for all these months working. To actually get to be able to meet each other and shake hands and say hello is really cool. It’s the biggest moment in my career and I now share something with my father, who helped build the Renaissance Center in Detroit.”

As road work continues across Michigan, police are on high alert for speeding and distracted drivers causing crashes during backups.

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation about efforts engineers take to balance mobility and safety during active road work.

Lindsey Renner, division administrator for Construction Field Services at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and a former supervisor of the Work Zone Safety section, explains the challenges.

Among innovative methods in use are rumble strips to alert people as they approach a work zone, speed trailers and law enforcement employing a Ghost Rider program to identify distracted drivers.

Renner also talks about the zipper merge as a means of encouraging drivers to alternate when work requires a lane to be closed.

Other relevant links:

MDOT Work Zone Safety
www.Michigan.gov/MDOT/Travel/Safety/Road-Users/Work-Zone-Safety

The Zipper Merge Explained With Kids
https://youtu.be/TLAISm1XuHQ

Operation Ghost Rider
https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/ghost-riders-lookout-distracted-drivers-michigan