View Comments More than 1,000 people died in traffic accidents in Michigan last year, according to Michigan State Police, suggesting that with fewer people on the roads during the pandemic, crashes were more deadly, a traffic expert said. In total, 1,083 people died in traffic accidents in 2020, up 10% from 2019. That rise comes despite a drop in traffic: There were about 18% fewer people on the road, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation, largely because of COVID-19 restrictions that kept people home. Less traffic likely helped to contribute to fewer accidents, experts say. There were 245,432 crashes last year, down 21.9% from the year before and the lowest level since at least 2010, historical data show.