St. Clair County Sheriff Department focuses traffic enforcement on Burtchville Twp. M-25 corridor
Laura Fitzgerald
St. Clair County Sheriff deputies recently ramped up traffic enforcement on a stretch of roadway that claimed the lives of seven people in five years.
The enforcement period on the M-25 corridor in Burtchville Township targeted speeding proper lane use, proper passing and other traffic violations.
The sheriff department said the 78 hours of directed traffic control in July resulted in:
- 116 traffic stops
- 59 speeding citations
- 18 other moving violations
- Six misdemeanor arrests
- One non-moving violation
From 2017 to 2021, there were 109 traffic crashes involving 265 people; 13 of the crashes resulted in incapacitating injuries and five crashes resulted in the death of seven people, according to the sheriff department.
The most notable arrest during the period occurred on July 28. At about 7:30 p.m., a sheriff lieutenant observed a vehicle southbound on M-25 traveling 131 mph in a 55 mph zone. The lieutenant conducted a traffic stop and arrested a 25-year-old Hazel Park man, the sheriff department said.
The man's vehicle was impounded and he was lodged at the St. Clair County jail on charges of reckless driving.
Sheriff Mat King said deputies tend to focus their patrols on the roads with the most traffic, crashes and dangerous driving. Deputies have the discretion to issue verbal warnings for minor offenses or citations or arrests for more reckless behavior.
While the M-25 corridor has always been an area that the department has concentrated its patrols, the enforcement period put renewed attention on the roadway, and King said the department directed its deputies to patrol the road when they have time.
Patrols are especially important in the summer months, when traffic volumes swell with vacationers, King said.
"We’re all about safety and we’d like to see some more safe travel up there," King said.
Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com.