It happened to a Michigan State Police cruiser in Shiawassee County.
Also, a fire engine in Kalamazoo County.
In Metro Detroit, an MDOT safety service patrol van encountered the same fate.
The common denominator? Officials say people failed to slow down and move over for those vehicles.
It’s the law, yet some Michiganders continue to barrel past authorized emergency vehicles, including MDOT’s Safety Service Patrol vehicles, or SSP.
SSP’s daily mission is to get stranded drivers moving again. The problem? They encounter danger every time a driver fails to slow down and move over.
If you have a flat tire or need a jump, MDOT is ready to answer the call at no cost to you.
Local 4 rode along with Dennis Richards, an operations manager, to get a first-hand look at the daily risks targeting his team.
On a recent call, Richards never had his back to traffic. It’s for good reason.
While people can’t necessarily move over on the exit ramp, it’s clear that few drivers slowed down.
Unfortunately, we’ve had a lot of near misses, he said.
Richards recalled a harrowing crash from New Year’s Day.
“We had an operator rear-ended while inside the van,” he said.
The other driver damaged the exterior and interior of the van, which stores much-needed supplies and technology for calls.
There have been fatalities on the line of duty, as seen in Florida, Richards said.
The damaged van was the 25th struck vehicle in the seven years since the state contracted with IncidentClear to offer this service.
“To me, it tells me motorists are going too fast. They’re not obeying the slowdown move over law,” Richards said.
From March 2023 to February 2025, the department reported that the team had helped close to 81,000 drivers. In that same timeframe, it recorded 471 near misses.
Nearly 14 percent of MDOT’s budget for its Intelligent Traffic System goes toward the Safety Service Patrol program.
Why does MDOT offer this complimentary service? A spokesperson stated it’s to get the lanes back open.
The team also assists law enforcement during major incidents.
There’s no number to call MDOT for help; about 60 percent of the incidents come from SSP employees driving on the interstate, with some calls from law enforcement and MDOT’s dispatch center.
It’s a danger that’s avoidable yet rewarding.
When asked if it has to feel good to know SSP drivers are helping someone experiencing a bad moment, Richards said empathy is part of the training for the team.
“Absolutely,” Richards replied.
