STATE POLICE REPORT INCREASE IN HOLIDAY FATALITIES

Preliminary reports by the Michigan State Police show six people lost their lives in six separate traffic crashes during the 2016 Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) Lifesaver Weekend. In comparison, three people died in traffic crashes during the 2015 initiative. The 2016 Operation C.A.R.E. Lifesaver Weekend ran from 6 p.m. on Friday, December 16, through 11:59 p.m., on Monday, December 19, 2016. These preliminary numbers only reflect fatalities reported to the MSP as of 1 p.m. Tuesday, December 27, 2016. “Initiatives like this aim to reduce injuries and fatalities resulting from crashes caused by dangerous driving behaviors,” Capt. Thomas Deasy, commander of the MSP Training Division. “The MSP continues to urge motorists to not drink and drive, to always use proper restraints and to avoid all distractions.” Operation C.A.R.E. began in 1977 as a collaborative effort between the MSP and the Indiana State Police and is one of the nation’s longest-running traffic safety initiatives. Today, it includes state and highway patrol agencies from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police, Quebec Police Force and the U.S. Virgin Islands.