Operation Ghost Rider begins around metro Detroit

(FOX 2) - Operation Ghost Rider returned to metro Detroit this weekend, a traffic safety initiative involving several local police agencies and the National Transportation Safety Organization.

It's the latest rendition of a police-coordinated plan that started in 2017.

Big picture view:

Advocates for traffic safety are ending National Distracted Driving Awareness month with Operation Ghost Rider, a police-coordinated initiative that uses unmarked police cars to make traffic stops.

The campaign is done with the National Transportation Safety Organization and aims to make it safer for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists to get around the state.

This weekend, police from 11 agencies will work in unison to cut down on distracted driving.

Distracted driving accounts for thousands of crashes every year, leading to hundreds of deaths.

Local perspective:

Troopers with Michigan State Police as well as deputies with both the Oakland County Sheriff and the Macomb County Sheriff are all involved in the campaign. 

So are the Auburn Hills Police Department, Chesterfield Police Department, Clinton Township Police Department, Shelby Township Police Department, Sterling Heights Police Department, Taylor Police Department, Troy Police Department, and Utica Police Department.

By the numbers:

In 2023, there were 15,136 distracted driving crashes.

That led to 59 people dying and 5,889 injuries. Over a third of the crashes happened at intersections while another 20% were during a lane merger. 

The volume of distracted driving incidents were highest in Michigan's most-populated counties: Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Kent, and Washtenaw.

What they're saying:

Jim Santilli leads the NTSO as CEO, pointing his commentary to the latest laws that punish distracted driving with a cell phone.

"Every time a driver chooses to look at their phone or engage in any distraction, they’re putting lives at risk," he said. "In 2023 alone, 40,091 people were killed and an estimated 2.44 million injured in traffic crashes across the U.S. It’s time we all commit to making traffic safety a priority again, and that includes bringing back highly visible enforcement."