Though the speed limit on M-59 was raised last year from 65 to 70 mph, apparently that's not fast enough for some drivers.
During a crackdown Wednesday, a targeted enforcement operation nabbed a driver clocked at 101 mph and another at 99. Eighty-six moving violations were written during about a six-hour period. Speeds in the 90s were not unusual, according to Lt. Robert Hendrix of the Michigan State Police North Metro Post in Oak Park.
"It's amazing," he said. "Folks really get going in the morning. Maybe they're running late for work or something."
Drivers should look for the enforcement to be repeated this Wednesday, he said.
The state police, Oakland County Sheriff's office and Auburn Hills police participated in the one-day crackdown, which was announced in advance. The goal was to focus on dangerous and rude driving behavior.
In all, 107 traffic stops were made. Thirty drivers were issued verbal warnings. In addition to the 86 moving violations, 17 non-moving violations were written, along with three misdemeanors, such as driving with a suspended license.
Capt. Robert Smith, commander of the Sheriff's Rochester Hills substation, said that due to the morning's heavy fog, the operation was a bit late getting started.
"The (radar) spotters couldn't spot the cars ... so they waited until the fog lifted," he said. The special enforcement was conducted from about 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. At times, all the officers were busy and some violators got away, including one car clocked at 84 mph -- on the shoulder.
FINE AND POINTS
The penalties for driving at such high speeds are costly. Going 100 in a 70 mph zone incurs a $150 fine and four points on the driving record, a spokesman for 52-3 District Court in Rochester Hills said.
The danger is obvious.
"Very few people can control a car at 100 mph," Smith said. "People do it all the time; they drive way over their capabilities."
M-59 was targeted because of its traffic volume, incidents of road rage and the number of crashes. Smith said because it is insufficiently patrolled, drivers think they can get away with anything.
"With our limited resources, we spend limited time down there. Over the years, its turned into an autobahn," he said, referring to the famed German high-speed road. "We'd like to do more of it. But ... we have to address the crime issues and traffic issues we have on the topside (surface streets). The flip side of that is all the incidents we have (on the freeway) takes us away from the topside."
Since last year, the sheriff's Rochester Hills substation has housed two state troopers who concentrate on M-59. Smith requested their help after a study showed that in a 10-year period, accidents had climbed 214 percent on the Oakland County portion of the freeway. The increase is blamed largely on economic development and population growth.
Smith said the presence of the state police has made a difference. It's hoped the stepped-up enforcement will lead to a reduction in accidents.
"I only anticipate M-59 becoming a main artery that gets more and more use," he said.
