KIEFER/DISTRACTED DRIVER MEM HWY S.B. 480:
ANALYSIS AS ENACTED
Senate Bill 480 (as enacted) PUBLIC ACT 237 of 2017
Senate Committee: Transportation
House Committee: Transportation and Infrastructure
RATIONALE
Mitchel Kiefer, a native of Northville, a Detroit Catholic Central graduate, and a Michigan State University student, was killed at the age of 18 after his car was rear-ended and forced across the median into oncoming traffic on I-96 near the Williamston Road exit on September 19, 2016, while he was returning to Michigan State University. Reportedly, the offending driver was speeding and using a mobile messaging application called Snapchat, and evidently was oblivious to Mr. Kiefer's vehicle. In memory of Mr. Kiefer, and as a reminder of the dangers of distracted driving, it was suggested that a portion of I-96 be named after him.
CONTENT
The bill amends the Michigan Memorial Highway Act to name the portion of highway I-96 beginning at mile marker 122 and extending west to mile marker 118 as the "Mitchel A. Kiefer Foundation for Distracted Driver Awareness Highway".
The bill will take effect on March 21, 2018.
ARGUMENTS
(Please note: The arguments contained in this analysis originate from sources outside the Senate Fiscal Agency. The Senate Fiscal Agency neither supports nor opposes legislation.)
Supporting Argument
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately nine people are killed and more than 1,000 are injured each day across the United States in crashes involving a distracted driver. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 10% of fatal crashes, 15% of injury crashes, and 14% of all police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2015 were reported as distraction-affected crashes. According to the NHTSA, in 2015, 3,477 people were killed and an estimated 391,000 injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers, while 551 nonoccupants (pedestrians, bicyclists, and others) were killed in distraction-affected crashes.
The Kiefer family developed the Kiefer Foundation to raise awareness about distracted driving, and to make highways safer. Reportedly, the Foundation raised over $1.0 million in its first year. According to mlive.com, the Foundation is investing $300,000 with the Michigan Department of Transportation to erect 1.7 miles of cable barriers along I-96 in the area of the accident. The median Mitchel Kiefer was forced across was narrow, being only 52 feet across. Naming a highway after him and the Foundation is a fitting way to memorialize Mr. Kiefer, and will serve as an important reminder about the dangers of distracted driving.