LANSING, Mich. (AP) -
Michigan State Police say there were fewer crashes and more deaths on Michigan streets and highways in the latest year.
The agency said Monday that the number of crashes fell 4 percent in to 2012 from the year before. It says there were 273,891 crashes last year, compared with 284,049 in 2011.
State police say traffic deaths rose 5 percent last year, from 889 in 2011 to 936. And the number of injuries fell 2 percent, from 71,796 to 70,519.
They say that cellphones were involved in 9 percent fewer crashes last year -- 748 compared with 821.
Increases were noted in motorcyclist fatalities, up 18 percent over 2011, and alcohol- and drug-involved fatalities, up 3 percent to 281 and 6 percent to 135 respectively.
State police say there's been a 31 percent drop in the number of crashes over a decade. There were 395,515 crashes in the state in 2002.
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Crash data: http://www.michigantrafficcrashfacts.org
