With a mix of ice and precipitation Clarkston area roads were more like ice rinks this weekend leading to a rash of accidents.
Fortunately for drivers, no major injuries were reported from accidents caused by the slick roads.
‘We were fortunate because they came driving around I-75 like a pinball machine,? said Deputy Wayne Cobb, who was on duty on Jan.7.
Based on numbers pulled from both the Oakland County Sheriff substation in Independence Township and the Michigan State Police post in Groveland Township, there were approximately 42 accidents on Jan. 7 alone.
From just after 7:30 a.m. until noon on Jan. 7, the Independence substation reported nearly 20 accidents as motorists struggled to stay on the roads. Deputies at the substation said the numbers would have been much higher if incidents where vehicles slipped from the roadway without causing damage were tallied.
From Jan. 6 to 8, the two police posts reported an approximate total of 57 accidents. The Independence Township substation had about 24 accidents during the weekend in comparison to only about four the entire previous holiday weekend.
At least seven motorists were cited for various traffic violations including driving too fast, failure to use due care and caution, disregard for traffic control and being unable to stop in an assured clear distance.
‘People were going way too fast for the conditions. We had collisions, runoffs and rollovers,? Cobb added. ‘The new guard rail (on I-75) probably saved a very serious accident. Had the rail not been there, they would have probably crossed over into the oncoming lanes. It could have been a whole lot worse.?
‘It was chaos,? said Oakland County Sheriff Deputy Robert Osborne who echoed Cobb’s appreciation for the guardrail.
‘It was amazing no one got hurt or slid into, with the amount of cars sliding,? said Captain Mike Fahrner of the Independence Township Fire Department. ‘Some were going too fast, but if you were touching your brakes or accelerating at all, you were sliding all over.?
In at least one such incident, the new guardrail which begins just north of M-15 and continues to Joslyn Road prevented a car from potentially crossing over into oncoming traffic.
According to the accident report, at around 7:45 a.m. a vehicle attempting to merge onto southbound I-75 from the northbound Sashabaw Road entrance ramp lost control and spun into the path of another vehicle. After impact, both vehicles bounced off the guardrail the slid back across southbound I-75.
Despite drivers and emergency responders escaping relatively unharmed, both deputies on duty expressed concern about some drivers? lack of regard for the conditions, particularly when law enforcement and emergency personnel were attempting to deal with accidents.
‘Some cars passed us at 70 mile per hour on that ice,? said Cobb.
‘People are not obeying the law when they’re supposed to give up the closest lane or slow down when they see emergency vehicles. If there is an available patrol car in the future, drivers who disobey the law will be ticketed,? said Osborne.
Cobb encouraged drivers to test the roads before driving at high speeds and in high traffic areas.
‘Use extreme caution and slow down. That would eliminate 99 percent of the accidents,? said Cobb. ‘If the road is icy, slow down and don’t try to make any sudden increase or decrease in speed and leave plenty of space between vehicles.?
As stated in a pamphlet for the Office of Highway Safety Planning on Michigan’s Emergency Vehicle Caution Law, motorists driving on a highway designed for two or more lanes of travel in the same direction must move into the open lane upon approaching a stationary emergency vehicle with its emergency lights activated. If weather does not permit such movement, the vehicle driver must slow down and pass with caution allowing as much space as possible.
Motorists on roads with one lane for each direction must slow down upon approaching stationary emergency vehicles with lights activated and pass with caution.
The penalty for a person found responsible for violating this law is guilty of a misdemeanor and is subject to enhanced penalties of up to 15 years in prison and/or a $7,500 fine if the violation causes the injury or death of a police officer, firefighter or other emergency responder.
Wreckers are considered emergency vehicles for the purpose of this law only.