Statewide traffic fatalities fell; Bayfield County recorded 252 crashes in 2025

Dan Kontos, Wisconsin DOT traffic safety coordinator, told the Bayfield County Traffic Safety Commission on Feb. 19 that statewide crash and injury totals for 2025 remain high but that "Fatalities are down for the year." He said 2025 statewide totals were 128,830 crashes, 32,609 injuries and 540 fatalities, and that as of the same point in 2026 there had been 44 fatalities compared with 67 at the same time in 2025.

Kontos also provided county-level totals for Bayfield County for 2025: 252 total crashes, 55 injuries and one fatality. The commission heard a breakdown of commonly logged driver-behavior flags for 2025, including aggressive driving (19), drivers aged 65 and over (59), teen drivers (26), speed-related (59), impaired drivers (28) and distracted driving (14), as well as winter-condition incidents (61) and deer-related crashes (68).

The data presentation was framed as a basis for local planning and grant targeting: commissioners and staff used the figures to discuss priorities for enforcement and education. Jake Benson, highway department representative, and others raised operational questions tied to the counts during follow-up discussion.

The commission approved the Nov. 20, 2025 minutes by motion of Jake Benson, seconded by Dan Kontos; the motion "carried (3-0)." The panel set its next meeting for May 21, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. at the Bayfield County Sheriff's Office EOC.

The DOT presentation did not include additional demographic breakdowns beyond the listed flags, nor did the minutes record a detailed vote roll-call for the minutes approval.