DETROIT, MICHIGAN — Snow squalls and windy, slick conditions snarled traffic across Metro Detroit Monday, including a major multi-car pileup that shut down all northbound lanes of Interstate 75 near East McNichols in Detroit as Michigan State Police warned drivers to slow down and leave more following distance.

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As of 1:00 p.m., authorities said all northbound lanes of I-75 near E. McNichols were shut down due to the pileup. Michigan State Police First Lt. Mike Shaw said as many as 20 to 25 vehicles may be involved.

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“It sounds like there's multiple crashes out there, involving maybe twenty cars or so from what we're trying to gather out there,” Shaw said in a live interview. He said counting vehicles can be difficult because people often pull over to help others involved in crashes. Shaw said the good news was that no serious injuries were reported.

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The pileup occurred as snow squalls moved through the area. A Snow Squall Warning had been in effect until 12:15 p.m. for roadways including I-375, I-696, I-75, and I-94 near Detroit, and US-23 near South Lyon.

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Shaw said many of the crashes are linked to tailgating and driving too fast for conditions, explaining that sudden bursts of reduced visibility and wind-driven snow can cause drivers to panic and brake hard, triggering chain-reaction collisions.

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“When you have these high winds or snow squalls that come through the area, if you're already driving too fast, and you're, you know, tailgating the car in front of you, when these snow squalls actually hit, people panic and they start to slam on their brakes which loses control, and then the car behind you, and it kind of starts a chain reaction,” Shaw said. He added that drivers need to slow down and leave more distance between vehicles to prevent similar pileups.

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Elsewhere in the region, police reported additional crashes, including several incidents along US-23 near Brighton. Michigan State Police said southbound US-23 at Spencer Road was shut down due to a one-car rollover crash with injury, with the left shoulder open for traffic but drivers warned to expect backups.

Drivers also reported slick conditions and poor visibility in several areas along I-696 in Macomb and Oakland counties. A High Wind Warning was in effect for all of Southeast Michigan until 9:00 p.m. Monday, adding to hazardous travel conditions.

Crash investigations and traffic restoration efforts remained ongoing as conditions continued to impact travel across the metro area.

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