Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Press Release

Traffic crashes killed 25 people in February

Third safest month of February in the last 10 years

By - Mar 5th, 2015 10:42 am

Last month, 25 people died in traffic crashes in Wisconsin, which was the third safest month of February in terms of traffic fatalities in the last 10 years, according to preliminary statistics from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).

Last month also was tied for the fourth safest month of February since the end of World War II when the modern highway transportation system started.  The safest month of February since the end of World War II occurred in 2014 with 20 fatalities, and the deadliest was in 1968 with 73 fatalities.

Traffic fatalities last month were five more than February 2014 but two fewer than the five-year average for February.

As of February 28, a total of 61 people have died in traffic fatalities during 2015 including seven pedestrians and one bicyclist. Traffic deaths through February were eight more than the same period last year but two fewer than the five-year average.

“The official start of spring is March 20, so it likely will not be too long before we see more bicyclists, pedestrians, scooter riders, and motorcyclists traveling on Wisconsin roads,” says David Pabst, director of the WisDOT Bureau of Transportation Safety. “Drivers will need to watch for them especially at intersections and while making turns or lane changes. To prevent crashes, drivers should always eliminate distractions and pay strict attention to traffic conditions as well as the other roadway users around them. For their part, bicyclists, pedestrians, scooter riders, and motorcyclists must obey all traffic signals and other laws. We all must share the road safely.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

Mentioned in This Press Release

People:

Leave a Reply

You must be an Urban Milwaukee member to leave a comment. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. Learn more.

Join now and cancel anytime.

If you are an existing member, sign-in to leave a comment.

Have questions? Need to report an error? Contact Us