New data broke down the number of crashes, deaths, injuries, distracted driving cases, as well as drunk and distracted driving instances last year on Michigan roads.
The information was sent out by Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center for 2023. Here’s what we learned:
Total crashes down slightly
The number of overall traffic crashes dropped from 2022 to 2023.
In 2022, there were 293,341 reported crashes on Michigan roads. Last year, that dropped to 287,953.
That’s about a 2% decrease.
Total deaths also decrease
The number of deaths from crashes also dropped in 2023.
In 2022, 1,123 people were killed in crashes on Michigan roads. That number dropped to 1,095 in 2023.
Again, the decrease was about 2%.
Total injury crashes nearly identical
The number of crashes that caused injuries was nearly identical from 2022 to 2023, rising from 51,066 to 51,097.
That’s an increase of 31 crashes that caused at least one injury.
Total injuries up
The increase in total injuries was a bit more significant, though still only a 1% rise from 2022.
There were 70,281 people hurt in crashes on Michigan roads in 2022, and last year, that number jumped to 71,085 -- 804 more injuries.
Pedestrian crashes rise significantly
The number of crashes involving pedestrians rose by 11% from 2022 to 2023.
In 2022, there were 1,897 such crashes, and that number rose to 2,114 last year.
Pedestrian deaths also up
Unsurprisingly, the increase in pedestrian crashes contributed to an increase in the number of pedestrian deaths last year.
There were 173 pedestrians killed in crashes in 2022, and that number rose to 183 in 2023. That’s about a 6% increase.
“It is encouraging to see a drop in the overall crash numbers, yet concerning to note the surge in incidents involving our most vulnerable road users: pedestrians and bicyclists,” said Katie Bower, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning.
Bicyclists involved in more crashes
The number of crashes involving bicyclists rose by 10% in 2023.
There were 1,340 crashes involving bicycles in 2022, and 1,480 last year.
Bicyclist deaths drop
Despite the increase in crashes, fewer bicyclists were killed last year.
There were 36 bicyclists killed in crashes in 2022, and that number dropped to 24 last year.
It’s a 33% decrease.
Motorcycle crashes down
Motorcycle crashes were down 3% in 2023, from 3,158 to 3,056.
That’s 102 fewer crashes involving motorcycles.
Motorcyclist deaths also decrease
The number of fatal crashes involving motorcycles and the number of motorcyclists killed in Michigan both dropped last year.
There were 168 fatal motorcycle crashes and 173 motorcyclists killed in 2022. There were 164 such crashes and 165 deaths in 2023 -- four fewer fatal crashes and eight fewer deaths.
Drunk driving crashes drop
The number of crashes involving alcohol dropped from 9,331 in 2022 to 8,817 last year.
That’s a 6% decrease.
Drunk driving deaths also decrease
The number of deaths linked to drunken driving dropped 8% in 2023.
There were 322 deaths in 2022, and 297 in 2023.
Drug-related crashes down
The number of crashes involving drugs dropped 8% in 2023.
There were 2,452 such crashes in 2022, and 2,250 last year.
Drug-related deaths slightly up
The number of deaths in crashes that involved drugs rose slightly, from 249 in 2022 to 256 in 2023.
That’s about a 3% increase.
Teen deaths rise
In 2022, 55 teenagers were killed in crashes in Michigan. That number rose 20% to 66 last year.
‘Young driver’ crashes slightly down
Michigan State Police classify a “young driver” as anyone between the ages of 16 and 20.
There were 46,011 crashes involving those drivers two years ago, and that number dropped 1% to 45,577 in 2023.
‘Young driver’ deaths up
Both the number of fatal crashes and the number of total deaths in crashes involving “young drivers” rose in 2023.
There were 123 such crashes and 128 deaths in 2022. Last year, there were 128 crashes and 136 deaths. That’s five more crashes and eight more deaths.
Drivers ages 60 and up
Michigan State Police provided data on drivers from certain age groups above 60 years old.
Crashes involving drivers from ages 60-64 were down 2% in 2023, from 24,489 to 24,040.
Crashes involving drivers ages 65-74 rose 2%, from 33,095 to 33,697.
Crashes involving drivers ages 75-84 rose 7%, from 14,816 to 15,876.
Crashes involving drivers 85 and older rose 8%, from 3,158 to 3,400.
Work zone crashes rise
The number of crashes in Michigan work zones rose significantly in 2023, from 7,436 to 8,017.
That’s an 8% increase and a total of 581 more crashes.
Work zone crash fatalities
The number of crashes in Michigan work zones that resulted in at least one death dropped from 22 to 21 last year.
But there were 24 deaths in such crashes last year, compared to 23 in 2022.
Crashes involving deer hold steady
The number of crashes involving deer in Michigan was nearly the same as in 2022.
There were 58,984 crashes with deer two years ago, and that number dropped by 178 in 2023, to 58,806.
School bus crashes
There were 1,041 crashes involving school buses in 2022, and that number dropped to 988 in 2023.
That’s 53 fewer crashes and a 5% drop.
Crashes involving trains
In 2022, there were only 65 crashes involving trains in the state. Last year, that number jumped to 76.
That’s a 17% increase.
Aggressive driving down
It might not feel like it when you’re out there, but police said aggressive driving was actually down in 2023 -- at least in terms of crashes.
There were 168,472 crashes that fell under the “aggressive driving” category in 2022. That number dropped by nearly 4,000 last year, to 164,505.
Cellphone use
There were 2,405 crashes linked to cellphone use in Michigan two years ago, and last year, that number dropped 5% to 2,284.
That’s 121 fewer crashes.
Distracted driving
Crashes caused by distracted driving dropped from 15,441 to 15,136 last year -- a decrease of 2%.
“We are happy to see the positive impact the hands-free law has had,” Bower said. “There were 305 fewer distracted driver-involved crashes in 2023 compared to 2022.”
Crashes involving cars, SUVs, vans
The number of crashes involving passenger cars, SUVs and vans dropped by more than 5,000 in 2023.
There were 393,437 such crashes in 2022, and 388,015 in 2023. That’s about a 1% decrease.
Motor home crashes way up
The number of crashes involving motor homes was much higher in 2023 than the previous year.
There were 817 such crashes in 2022, and that number grew by 38% to 1,124 last year.
Pickup crashes rise slightly
In 2022, there were 57,245 crashes involving pickup trucks, and that number rose to 57,767 last year.
That’s an increase of about 1%.