Although DUIs in the state have fallen by 44.5 percent since 2007, a third of all traffic fatalities today include a drunk driver, according to data from safehome.org.
With 406.2 arrests per 100,000 people, a recent study ranked Wisconsin 9th nationally for most DUIs. The average across America is 309.8 arrests per 100,000 people, placing the notoriously heavy-drinking state well above that.
To combat this epidemic, state and local legislators proposed a concerted effort to change the behavior of reckless driving and increase public safety during a Wednesday assembly committee meeting on local government at the Capitol.
The “Safe Roads Save Lives” bill would implement automated traffic control and photographic systems around Milwaukee in a five-year pilot program.
Spearheaded by Rep. David Crowley, D-Milwaukee, and Sen. LaTonya Johnson, D-Milwaukee, the proposed bill would launch after an education campaign in communities with high risk intersections.
“The existing technology of automated traffic enforcement will guarantee stricter enforcement of traffic laws. In addition to providing law enforcement with an essential tool, the technology will save lives of Wisconsinites and visitors alike," a press release stated.
Although traffic-related casualties have risen 75 percent in the last eight years, the sponsors of this bill emphasize privacy as well as safety, ensuring cameras would only take pictures of the rear end of a car — protecting the driver's privacy.
“Passing this legislation would mean more people will think twice before engaging in reckless driving, ensuring more people arrive home safely, keeping families together and our streets safer,” Crowley tweeted.
The Legislators presented data showing that in 2018 alone, Milwaukee saw 16,338 crashes and 57 fatal crashes, a 14 percent increase from the year before.
Crowley said the program would give “Wisconsin’s biggest city the 21st century tools needed to keep roads safe,” citing studies showing a 21 percent decrease in fatal accidents and 14 percent fewer crashes in dangerous intersections after the installation of cameras.
The bill is meant to supplement the already established “Take it E-Z Milwaukee” initiative. The implemented traffic surge program places officers at dangerous intersections to dissuade aggressive driving.
While effective, the Milwaukee representatives claim it is not a permanent solution — it takes officers away from patrolling and costs $600,000 quarterly. This new bill would proactively prevent individuals from reckless endangerment and free up police department resources.
state news writer
