ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Fast driving and weaving in-and-out of traffic.
Steve Galvan says he’s sick of narrowly dodging bad drivers along the Southfield Freeway, specifically between Rotunda and Pinecrest drives.
“I frequently drive from Livonia to Allen Park to care for my 99-year-old mother,” he wrote to Local 4. “M-39 is the freeway used for my commute. The freeway more resembles a drag strip more than a commuter freeway.”
“I see a lot of erratic driving, speeding cars. They pass on both the right and the left,” said Galvan. “Brake lights come on. Cars maneuver all over the place to avoid contact… it’s only a matter of time.”
In fact, that ominous warning is already in motion based on a Local 4 analysis. Data shows hundreds of crashes happened between Pinecrest and Rotunda drives from 2020–2024.
In the five-year span, 113 of them resulted in injuries with one fatality.
- Total crashes (2020–2024): 500
- Crashes with injuries: 113
- Fatal crashes: 1
- 2024: highest annual crash count in the period
- Most common collision type: rear‑end crashes
- Many collisions occurred in clear weather — suggesting driver behavior, not only conditions, is a major factor
Drivers and data point to other contributing factors.
Construction and lane changes in nearby corridors, such as I‑94 work, can suddenly alter traffic patterns, causing lanes to merge back and forth. When lanes reopen or traffic speeds vary widely, drivers attempting to “get ahead” create speed differentials that increase the chance of sideswipes and rear‑end collisions.
The data shows rear‑end collisions are the most common on this segment — a pattern consistent with people braking suddenly when traffic slows or when a vehicle cuts in front.
MSP told Local 4 the M-39 stretch is known as a problem area and troopers plan to conduct enforcement in the area soon.
“That would make, I think, everybody feel a lot more comfortable,” Galvan said.