WAUKESHA, Wis.— Law enforcement agencies across six midwestern states said they will kick off a speed enforcement initiative on July 27 to keep more people safe on the road.
Agencies in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio are participating, as speed-related incidents continue to rise.
In 2021, traffic deaths grew by 10.5% to 42,915, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“Every fatality is something that can be avoided,” said Waukesha County Sheriff’s Deputy Tyler Dunker. “Speed is one of the main reasons these occur.”
Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio saw a combined 5,413 deadly injuries on roadways in 2020, with 30.8% of them related to speeding, according to NHTSA.
“Unfortunately, we have been seeing a lot of speeding this year and it’s not just this year,” Dunker said. “It’s every year.”
Data from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation showed an increase in speed-related crashes nearly every year from 2015 to 2019. The only year where these incidents decreased was from 2016 to 2017, by 358 incidents.
Dunker also made clear not every speeding driver can be pulled over. He said he has to weigh the safety of other drivers on the roads well.
“I had a vehicle going at least 20 miles above the speed limit, but by the time I pull safely into traffic and try to get behind him, I’ve had multiple vehicles pass me that I now have to weave through to get to him,” he said.
WisDOT released data to Spectrum News 1 from 2021 and this year. In 2021, there were 17,597 speed-related crashes in the state that resulted in injuries. So far this year, there have been 9,228.
The six-state Speed Awareness Day enforcement campaign comes during peak time for serious traffic crashes: June to September.
