DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – Police departments around the state of Michigan, spearheaded by metro Detroit officers, initiated a program on Monday to target distracted drivers using unmarked police vehicles to identify drivers on their cell phones. 

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“Distracted driving crashes are 100 percent preventable. As drivers, we must do better,” First Lieutenant Mike Shaw of the Michigan State Police said in a statement. “We will continue to educate motorists and hope that personal accountability will help decrease distracted driving. But we also know enforcement is key.”

Officers from agencies including: Auburn Hills Police Department, Chesterfield Township Police Department, Clinton Township Police Department, Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan State Police, Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Shelby Township Police Department, Sterling Heights Police Department, Taylor Police Department, and Utica Police Department, according to a media release from the Transportation Improvement Association (TIA). 

The operation will use an unmarked vehicle to spot vehicles with distracted drivers that contain a law enforcement officer.  Once a spotter has observed a driver using a device, they will radio a fully marked law enforcement unit to initiate a traffic stop according to TIA. 

In light of the beginning of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the program targets distracted motorists that are using their cell phones while operating a vehicle, with the aim of reducing distracted driving deaths and accidents. 

Preliminary numbers from 2022 indicate that 57 persons were killed and 5,905 were injured in 15,441 motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver in the state of Michigan according to TIA. 

The CEO of TIA and Chairman of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Advisory Commissions’ Distracted Driving Action Team, Jim Santilli, weighed in on the merits of the program. 

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“Distracted driving continues to be a top traffic safety concern on our roads,” Santilli said, “We can save lives by simply keeping our eyes on the road and hands on the wheel at all times. We hope Operation Ghost Rider will further educate the public about the dangers of distracted driving.”

According to the Strategic Highway Safety Plan 2023-2026, in 2021 the Operation Ghost Rider strategy  was part of a larger strategy to reduce distracted driving that resulted in a reduction of drivers cell phone use by 16% while enforcement was in effect.  The reductions continued in the weeks following the completion of the enforcement activities resulting in an overall 25% reduction in cell phone use.