On M-15, a man was killed when his northbound sports utility vehicle crossed the center line, colliding with a southbound pickup truck. Three family members were killed in a car-truck collision. Two motorcyclists perished in separate incidents. All since February.
Love it or hate it, most of us have to drive M-15. Legions of frequent local travelers are frustrated with the M-15 ‘high anxiety corridor,? citing an excess of trucks, cars, and speed’a recipe for disaster.
The steering wheel suddenly becomes a mere afterthought for phone and coffee-toting commuters flipping ‘the finger? while competing with gravel trains, cement mixers and backhoe-towing construction vehicles for the same 10-foot section of asphalt.
‘You don’t get a second chance on M-15,? says a witness to countless Atlas Township M-15 accidents. ‘You’re only one foot away from disaster’it’s just too intense for a two-lane highway.?
Medical response teams define the Brandon-Groveland township section of M-15 as ‘our primary response area where most car accidents occur,? with emergency runs occuring nearly daily.
Unfortunately there’s no quick fix.
Michigan Department of Transportation officials are planning no major changes to the southern Genesee and northern Oakland county sections of M-15 for at least eight to 10 years, until after improvements are made to M-24 in southern Lapeer and northern Oakland counties.
And while some M-15 safety improvements are on the horizon’such as extra traffic signals, consolidated driveway entrances, or left-turn lanes’they don’t guarantee a less dangerous road.
‘Traffic lights don’t necessarily decrease accidents, rather just change where and how they occur,? says an MDOT spokesperson.
Perhaps part of the M-15 solution starts with drivers.
Consider a recent University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center study identifying top 10 driver distractions by percentage: Things outside the car (29); adjusting the sound system (11.4); other occupants (10.9); moving objects in car (4.3); vehicle controls (2.8); eating and drinking (1.7); cell phones (1.5); smoking (0.9); and other distractions (25.6).
We’re all guilty of it, but paying attention to anything other than the tons of steel we’re maneuvering at high speed only inches from others down a busy two-lane highway is a stunt best left for professionals.
Genesee County Sheriff’s officials caution drivers to consider motorists behind them when stopping or turning, and slowing speed on the heavily-traveled commuter route.
MDOT, police or constant nagging won’t rectify the deadly mix on M-15 that plagues our communities. But a heightened awareness of the dangers of driver apathy and distractions will hopefully reinforce our personal responsibility in keeping the road safe for our families and other motorists.