Is A New ‘SILVER ALERT’ Coming To Michigan?

Traveling from Michigan down I-75 to Florida, or I-69 to Texas, you can definitely see a difference in the way information is sent to drivers.

Sometimes these signs tell you about a traffic project that you're about to be forced to contend with. Other times they just tells you the estimated travel time to frequently used exits. But those digital text traffic signs popping up everywhere are serving many different purposes beyond what we see in Michigan.

What Is A "Silver Alert'?

If you've driven elsewhere in the country you may have seen a notification popping up on the local digital highway traffic signs indicating that a 'Silver Alert' had been issued and was in effect in your area. This is similar to an 'Amber Alert', but indicates that an elderly person or an adult with challenges has gone missing.

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In many states this shows up on a lot of signs along the highway, freeways and at public transportation hubs. In other places, residents can opt in to 'Silver Alerts' being sent directly to their phones via text message.

Is Michigan Ready For 'Silver Alerts'?

As we see more and more digital traffic signs pop up all over the state to inform us of 'urgent' things, are we ready for a 'Silver Alert' here in Michigan? Local media reports that a new bill 'would task the Michigan State Police with creating and maintaining a Medical Alert System Plan.' The report continued to say that, 'The Silver Alert would operate similar to Amber Alerts but be geared for cases involving older people.'