Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Road Safety Data And Tools topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wisconsin DOT: second-quarter crash totals in line with expectations; legislative proposals and new Community Maps tools highlighted
Summary
At the Sawyer County Traffic Safety Committee meeting, Wisconsin Department of Transportation staff reviewed second-quarter crash data showing county and statewide totals roughly on par with recent years, summarized pending state traffic-safety bills, and described new Community Maps data layers for enforcement and pre-crash behaviors.
At the Sawyer County Traffic Safety Committee meeting, Wisconsin Department of Transportation staff reviewed second-quarter crash data and statewide safety initiatives and updated committee members on new Community Maps data layers.
Dan Contos, a Wisconsin DOT staff member, told the committee that preliminary statewide reports show about 29,000 crashes for the second quarter, resulting in roughly 8,000 injuries and about 133 fatalities in that period. Contos said the county’s figures are “right where we would expect to be” compared with a five-year second-quarter average and that single-unit lane-departure crashes remain the most common crash type locally.
Contos said year-to-date figures for the county included two fatalities reported to the DOT and noted a five-year county average of five fatalities per year, framing the totals as a continuing cause for attention even though overall levels are typical.
The department also outlined several bills and rule changes moving through the legislature. Contos listed proposals by name or bill number discussed at the meeting, including SB 136 (changes to school-bus lighting to better illuminate rear tires), a proposal to extend ignition-interlock device requirements from 12 to 18 months after conviction, SB 399 (raising permissible UTV weight to 3,500 pounds), SB 345 (changes to pedestrian/crosswalk rules), and a proposal identified as SP 375 to pilot red-light and speed cameras in the state’s largest city. Contos said other proposals under discussion would affect school-bus driver training and endorsements, camera use on school buses, and an expansion of the state’s move-over/slow-down law; he directed members to the Community Maps legislative updates for ongoing tracking.
Contos described ongoing safety campaigns. DOT, NHTSA and state partners are conducting a national impaired-driving mobilization through September that addresses alcohol and nonalcohol impairment. Contos also noted child passenger safety week and the national car-seat check Saturday as upcoming outreach opportunities.
On data and mapping tools, Contos summarized recent Community Maps enhancements: a law-enforcement traffic-stop layer (a pilot with 32 participating agencies) that shows warnings and citations; a Safe Roads Challenge layer that clusters pre-crash risky driving behaviors collected from the trip-score app; updated county profiles (2022–24) and new travel profiles; and a highway-system flag that allows users to filter for local roads, county highways or state routes. Contos said the bureau is offering virtual office hours the second Monday of each month and that Dave Doms has joined as regional program manager for the northern half of the state.
Why it matters: the DOT presentation combined crash data, legislative developments and new mapping and enforcement data that local agencies can use to align enforcement, education and engineering interventions. Contos encouraged committee members to use the Community Maps layers to match enforcement activity to crash and pre-crash behavior clusters.
The committee did not take formal action on the DOT presentation; Contos provided contact information for follow-up and encouraged members to consult weekly legislative updates on Community Maps.
