Police cracking down on obnoxious I-696 driving

March 19, 2007

BY MATT HELMS

FREE PRESS DRIVING COLUMNIST

You’ll want to watch your speed and keep the aggressive driving in check on I-696 this week as police crack down on bad driving.

Local police departments, the Michigan State Police and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department are involved of the effort to get drivers to calm down on the Oakland County portion of I-696 from Farmington Hills to Madison Heights. The crackdown lasts through late this week.

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Police are targeting “mostly speeding, unsafe lane changes, things like that,” Farmington Hills Police Lt. Craig Hurt said this morning. “It’s the type of driving we would like to discourage.”

Hurt said police from his city, Southfield, Lathrup Village, Oak Park, Huntington Woods, Royal Oak, Pleasant Ridge, Hazel Park and Madison Heights police are taking part. The crackdown was spurred by complaints from drivers about others speeding, following too closely, changing lanes improperly and not using turn signals.