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Police report: two second-quarter traffic fatalities, grant funding restored for speed and seat-belt enforcement
Summary
Madison Police Department reported two traffic fatalities during Q2 2025 and described changes in federal grant funding that temporarily reduced enforcement deployments; speed enforcement stops included recorded speeds above 100 mph on several corridors.
The Madison Police Department reported two traffic fatalities in the second quarter of 2025 and described changes to federal traffic-enforcement grant funding that affected second-quarter deployment levels.
Lieutenant Hannah presented the department's quarterly traffic safety summary. She said one fatal crash on May 26 involved an impaired driver who ran a red light and struck a pedestrian at Northport Drive and Kennedy Road. Video evidence contradicted the driver's initial account; the pedestrian had the walk signal and the driver entered on red. Hannah said the driver tested over the legal blood-alcohol limit.
A second fatality involved a motorcycle on the BeltLine; preliminary information indicates the motorcyclist was involved in aggressive driving, left his lane and struck a vehicle and a concrete barrier, and later died at the hospital. The motorcyclist did not have a valid driver's license, the lieutenant said.
Hannah told commissioners that the state had initially reduced grant awards that support local speed and seat-belt enforcement; speed and seat-belt funding were restored on June 1, but Ped/Bike grant funds were not restored. Because of the funding fluctuations, the department ran fewer targeted enforcement deployments in the second quarter but plans to increase grant-funded activity to expend obligated funds before they expire.
The report included highlights from enforcement deployments showing extremely high recorded speeds: officers reported stops with highest speeds of 101 mph and 104 mph (Whitney Way and BeltLine deployments) and speeds above 100 mph on Stoughton Road. The lieutenant emphasized officers typically stop vehicles at substantially higher differentials (around 15 mph over posted limits) and that many of the recorded speeds were well above that threshold.
Commissioners asked questions about thresholds for enforcement and how automated enforcement thresholds and public perceptions factor into enforcement strategies. The lieutenant said officers try to balance enforcement with fair public perception and that, where appropriate, citations may be written at lower speeds after a stop to encourage compliance without excessive penalty.
