Traffic safety vital as weather gets nicer

The clock is ticking on traffic safety.

Every 5 hours in Wisconsin, a motorcyclist is killed or injured on Wisconsin’s roadways.

Every 7 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% over prior years.

In Wisconsin, there were 61 pedestrian fatalities in 2023, with 1,299 crashes involving pedestrians.

AccordingtotheWisconsinDepartment of Transportation (DOT), there were 791 crashes involving bicyclists and motor vehicles in Wisconsin in 2023. In these crashes, 7 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, 100 people killed, and 1,604 injured.

The return of summer-like weather has brought people out of their homes – children out playing in yards and at playgrounds, and adults out getting their exercise walking or running. People are out riding on bikes and motorcycles, as well as UTVs and ATVs.

Springtime in Wisconsin is a dangerous time to be a driver. Just when drivers think they can breathe of 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 bicyclist, motorcycle, or other smaller vehicle may not be easily visible.

The mistake of not checking a blind spot goes from being an “oops” to 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 phones, 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.

The Tribune Record Gleaner editorial board consists of publisher Kris O’Leary and Star News editor Brian Wilson.