KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Warmer weather means that more people are on the roads, and more frequently.
However, Kalamazoo County is experiencing an uptick in instances of reckless driving in the area.
In fact, during a County Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday, Commissioner Jeff Heppler warned drivers to be more careful on the roads.
“Be careful out there, because there are people driving very badly,” Commissioner Heppler said at the end of the meeting.
On Wednesday morning, Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller spoke with WKZO about reckless driving.
“We recognize over the last year, and a lot of people blame COVID-19, that the driving has become some of the worst we’ve seen in a very long time, in fact, ever,” Sheriff Fuller said. “We’re seeing people speeding on a regular basis in areas where they normally wouldn’t have sped in the past. We’re seeing poor driving, angry driving.”
Sheriff Fuller adds that distracted driving is also a prevalent issue, in addition to reckless driving.
“One thing I noticed this morning was that I was with traffic, and a car passes me that says ‘baby on board,’ but the driver would never be able to describe my vehicle because they looked down the entire time at their phone when they went by.”
Sheriff Fuller emphasized that defensive driving must be implemented in day-to-day living.
“We can slow down, we can pay attention to the road, and we can look out for others as much as we look out for ourselves so we can all get there safely,” Fuller said.
This news comes as new data from the Michigan State Police (MSP) indicates that state traffic fatalities topped 1,000 in the year 2020 for the first time in three years.
The total clocked in at 1,083, only one less than the previous record set in 2007.
For more information on that data, click here.
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