About 41 million speeding tickets are issued in the nation per year, according to recent insurance industry studies.

Some drivers may believe that’s plenty, but here’s another statistic to consider: speeding accounts for one-fourth of all traffic fatalities nationally.

Police agencies in Michigan continue to report an alarming rise in speeding and fatal crashes since the pandemic began more than three years ago.

It’s not limited to freeways.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, local roads are more dangerous for speeders. In 2020, 87% of all speeding-related traffic fatalities occurred on non-interstate roadways.

In 2021, there were 237 speed-related fatalities on Michigan roads, an increase of 18.5% over 2020, when 200 people died. Nationally in 2020, 11,258 fatalities involved crashes in which one or more drivers were speeding, an 18% increase over the 9,478 fatalities in 2019.

To address this disturbing trend, Michigan State Police, along with county and municipal police agencies across the state, will conduct increased speed enforcement beginning Saturday.

Patrols will be stepped up through Sunday, June 25.

Katie Bower, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, said the goal of increased enforcement is to change risky driving behaviors and save lives.

“Speeding continues to be a critical issue in Michigan that leads to many needless crashes, serious injuries and fatalities on our roadways,” Bower said. “We are in the busy, warm-weather travel season with many families driving to their favorite destinations to enjoy the summer break. Unfortunately, there will be some drivers on the road who put everyone at risk by speeding and driving recklessly, making crashes more likely. These vital speed-enforcement periods help lessen the impact of those dangerous, impatient drivers.”

In Michigan, the number of traffic crashes rose from 245,432 in 2020 to 282,640 in 2021, an increase of 15%. There was also a rise in fatalities — 1,131 in 2021 compared to 1,083 in 2020.

Also in Michigan, according to speed-involved data from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, in 2021:

∫ 13.3% of unrestrained drivers involved in crashes were speeding.

∫ 10.2% of drivers in the 15- to 20-year-old age group involved in crashes were speeding. This is higher than the overall speeding-driver rate of 5.2% in 2021.

∫ There were 24,555 speed-related crashes, which is a 10.3% increase from the 22,260 speed-related crashes in 2020.

Speeding reduces the amount of time a driver has to react in a dangerous situation to avoid a crash, increases vehicle stopping distance, and reduces the ability of road safety structures to protect vehicle occupants in a crash.