Driver caught doing 180mph on near-empty Michigan highway

‘People are taking it on themselves to drive at high rates of speed’

A driver in Michigan was issued a speeding ticket by police, after he was caught driving 180mph in a 70mph zone.

The driver was stopped going southbound on the I-75 in Monroe County at 11:45pm on 19 April, according to Fox 2.

Lieutenant Brian Oleksyk, of the Michigan State Police, told the outlet that the coronavirus pandemic has affected the way people drive in the state.

“For some reason, the public has a perception with the stay-at-home stay-safe order with only essential drivers on the road that there is a lot less traffic, and people are taking it on themselves to drive at high rates of speed and over the past couple of weeks,” he said.

“Our troopers have seen an increase in people speeding on the highway,” the officer added.

In a now deleted tweet, Michigan State Police revealed that the driver was driving at more than two and a half times the speed limit.

The tweet, which included a picture of the driving ticket, was deleted after Twitter users noticed that the man’s name was still visible on the ticket.

“MSP has seen an increase with high speeds on roadways during this pandemic. This person was cited for doing 180 MPH in a 70 MPH zone,” read the tweet.

“MSP wants people to know, just because there is less traffic on the roads and warmer weather, there are no excuses for speeding. #DriveSafe.”

In the comments section of the ticket, a post, presumably written by the driver, said: “My fault. I was speeding with another vehicle. I’m sorry.”

Earlier this month, the Governors Highway Safety Association executive director Jonathan Adkins, said that drivers still need to drive within the law, to make sure extra strain is not put on healthcare workers.

“Law enforcement officials have the same mission as health care providers — to save lives,” he said in a statement. “Emergency rooms in many areas of the country are at capacity, and the last thing they need is an additional strain from traffic crash victims.”