On July 30, 2022, my brother, Michael Salhaney, set out with friends on a Make-A-Wish charity bicycle ride. He did what safe cyclists do — rode single-file, visible, predictable. A driver trying to pass a truck veered into the group. Michael and fellow rider Edward Erickson never came home. Three others were badly hurt.

Susan Salhaney is a lifelong Michigander. She lives in Grosse Pointe Farms. (Courtesy photo)

A jury later found the driver guilty on 15 counts, including second-degree murder and operating under the influence; a judge imposed a minimum 60-year sentence. Nothing about that sentence fills the empty chair at our table. But accountability mattered — and so does prevention. 

Michigan has taken a crucial step toward prevention. The state House voted this summer to allow roadside oral-fluid (saliva) screening for drugs — a simple swab that can help officers determine whether a driver recently used substances like THC, cocaine, methamphetamines, or opioids. The device manufacturer is awaiting the approval of the integration of fentanyl testing later this fall.

Now it is the Senate’s turn to finish the job.

The bills (HB 4390–4391) passed the House on July 1, with immediate effect, and were sent to the Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety. That is where they sit. Every day without action is another day of avoidable risk on our roads. 

Drug-involved crashes and deaths are rising. According to the Michigan State Police Office of Highway Safety Planning, drug-involved crashes increased to 2,315 in 2024 (up 3%), and drug-involved fatalities rose to 272 (up 6% versus 2023). One in four Michigan traffic deaths in 2024 involved drug use — 272 of 1,099 lives lost.

Vulnerable road users were hit hard. Cyclist crashes rose 20% (1,773) with 29 fatalities (up 21%), work-zone fatalities climbed 17% and distracted-driving fatalities rose 10% even as overall distracted crashes fell. These are not just numbers; they are tragedies affecting families like mine. 

Oral-fluid screening is a commonsense tool that helps officers answer a focused question: Is there evidence of recent drug use that could explain impaired driving right now? Unlike blood or urine, which can reflect use days or weeks earlier — oral fluid emphasizes recency, giving officers real-time information to guide probable-cause decisions and, when warranted, confirmatory testing. It is not a replacement for field sobriety evaluations or for officer training; it complements them. That is why the Michigan State Police, the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association, and the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police have all supported advancing the House bills. 

Critics raise fair questions. Some worry that roadside tests might be unreliable or could punish people who are not impaired — especially cannabis users. Safeguards are essential, and the House bill text reflects that intent:

  • Oral-fluid screening occurs at the tail end of an impaired-driving investigation, after the officer observes driving behavior and conducts field sobriety and preliminary breath testing as appropriate. 
  • Results are a screen, not a conviction. Just as with preliminary breath tests, confirmatory testing and evidence of impairment remain crucial before prosecutors bring charges. Michigan’s approach follows what dozens of other states are already doing.
  • Lawmakers can — and should — embed standards for device validation, officer training, data transparency, and an approval process guided by MSP and forensic science experts, so the tools used in the field meet high accuracy thresholds. 

In short: we can have both civil liberties and safer roads. We do it already with alcohol enforcement — observations, standardized field sobriety tests, a preliminary screen, and then confirmatory evidence. Drug-impaired driving should be no different.

We need the Senate to move HB 4390–4391 out of committee and pass them with strong, explicit safeguards:

  1. Use only validated devices approved by MSP, with public reporting on accuracy.
  2. Require officer training tied to Drug Recognition Expert protocols and standardized field sobriety tests.
  3. Make confirmatory lab testing mandatory before any charge based on a positive screen.
  4. Publish annual data on screenings by device, county, demographics, and outcomes to ensure transparency and equity.

Mike was doing something good for others when he was killed. We can honor him — and the 272 Michigan lives lost to drug-involved crashes in 2024 — by making a good thing happen for others now. Let us save lives before another family hears the knock we did.

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