November 02, 2026
WHEREAS, according to the Michigan State Police Office of Highway Safety Planning, a traffic crash was reported in Michigan every one minute and 49 seconds, resulting in 290,221 traffic crashes in 2025, and emergency vehicles were involved in 2,532 of these crashes, including two fatal crashes and 330 injury crashes; and,
WHEREAS, emergency responders working the scene of a traffic crash or other incident may include any combination of law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical service personnel, towing and recovery operators, public works and transportation first responders, and they risk being struck by a vehicle and killed or injured in the line of duty every hour of every day; and,
WHEREAS, according to the Michigan State Police Office of Highway Safety Planning, although total distracted driving crashes decreased by 2.9 percent from 2024 to 2025, and crashes involving emergency vehicles and distracted drivers decreased by 7.6 percent from 172 in 2024 to 159 in 2025, maintaining progress in reducing crashes remains essential; and,
WHEREAS, according to the Emergency Responder Safety Institute, nationwide 36 emergency responders were struck and killed while responding to traffic incidents in 2025, including one responder in Michigan, and since January 2026, nationwide 26 emergency responders have been struck and killed while responding to traffic incidents; and,
WHEREAS, all emergency responders have a duty to protect each other along with the motoring public and reduce the risk of secondary crashes by training in traffic incident management (TIM) with other emergency responders and using TIM best practices when responding to traffic incidents; and,
WHEREAS, Michigan’s Move Over law requires drivers approaching stopped emergency vehicles with emergency lights activated to slow down at least 10 mph below the posted speed limit and move over at least one lane if safely possible; and,
WHEREAS, Crash Responder Safety Week is an opportunity for Michigan to raise awareness that every emergency responder and every driver have a responsibility for traffic incident scene safety, and by staying alert, avoiding distractions, driving safely around traffic incidents and obeying the Move Over law, we can save lives;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim November 2-6, 2026, as Crash Responder Safety Week in Michigan.
