Distracted, Impaired Drivers Fueling Rise In Wisconsin Traffic Deaths

Traffic deaths continue to rise in Wisconsin.

There were 66 traffic fatalities in the state in July, three more than in July 2016, and the highest monthly total this year, according to the state Department of Transportation.

During the summer there are usually more drivers, including more reckless drivers, Transportation Safety Director David Pabst said Wednesday.

“We have safe roads. We have safer cars than we’ve ever had and they get better every year, but we’re still killing more people,” Pabst said. “Distracted driving, drugged driving, drunk driving, not wearing your seatbelt — all these issues come together at once, especially during the summer.”

Preliminary DOT data shows 338 traffic deaths through July, which is slightly ahead of the number through the same period last year.

Of those, more than 10 percent were motorcyclists. Another 10 percent were pedestrians.

Pabst said there’s been a national upward trend in traffic deaths in the last few years, spurred largely by distracted and impaired drivers.

The state will take part in the annual Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign targeting impaired drivers, which runs from mid-August through Labor Day.