– Editorial – - Traffic safety vital as weather gets nicer
By Editorial Board
The clock is ticking on traffic safety.
Every five hours, in Wisconsin, a motorcyclist is killed or injured on Wisconsin’s roadways.
Every seven hours, a pedestrian is killed or injured on Wisconsin’s roadways.
Every 12 hours, a bicyclist is killed or injured on Wisconsin’s roadways.
Among the dead, are children playing, mothers and fathers out enjoying a day with their families, men and women going to, and from, work. The victims range from the very young, to the very old.
Beyond those killed, are the hundreds more injured, some carrying those injuries throughout their lives.
According to the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, 7,318 pedestrians were struck and killed by motorists in 2023. While the statistics for all of 2024, haven’t been released, things don’t look promising, as the number of reported incidents in the first part of the year, climbed a staggering 48 percent over prior years.
In Wisconsin, there were 61 pedestrian fatalities in 2023, with 1,299 crashes involving pedestrians.
According to the Wisconsin DOT, there were 791 crashes involving bicyclists and motor vehicles in Wisconsin, in 2023. In these crashes, seven bicyclists were killed and 699 were injured.
The number of motorcycle crashes also went up in 2023, with 1,949 crashes reported by the DOT, in which 100 people were killed and 1,604 injured.
The return of summer-like weather has brought people out of their homes. Children are out playing in yards and at playgrounds, adults are out getting their exercise, walking or running. People are out riding on bikes and motorcycles, as well as UTV and ATVs.
Springtime in Wisconsin, is a dangerous time to be a driver. Just when they think they can breathe a sigh of relief for not having to navigate snowy and icy roads, motorists face the need to be alert to pedestrians, bikes, motorcycles and other small vehicles, such as UTVs, on and near the roads.
It is a time for drivers to be especially alert.
When driving through neighborhoods or near parks, watch for pedestrians, especially children, as they dart and run. Be alert on the highways and pay extra attention to checking your blind spots, when doing things like changing lanes or turning. A bicycle, motorcycle or other smaller vehicle, may not be easily visible.
The mistake of not checking a blind spot goes from being an “oops,” to being a fatal tragedy, in a fraction of a second.
As with any other time of year, the solution needs to be focusing on driving and being alert to your surroundings. This means putting down your phone, turning down your tunes and paying attention to the road.
Summer in Wisconsin, is brief and everyone wants to maximize their time, enjoying being outside or hitting the open road. While it is great to have a good time, it is vital that everyone gets home safe at the end of the day.
Members of the Courier Sentinel editorial board include publisher Carol O’Leary, general manager Kris O’Leary and Star News editor Brian Wilson.
