With state of emergency winding down, enforcement of expired vehicle registrations must ramp up

Earlier this year Governor Evers declared a statewide emergency due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and Wisconsin State Statute outlines that law enforcement is prohibited from enforcing the penalty for operating unregistered or improperly registered vehicles during a state of emergency proclamation.

This provision of state law that has allowed motorists to drive with unregistered vehicles without worry of penalty has negatively impacted our ability to curb reckless driving behavior in the city.

As such, with the state of emergency coming to an end on June 4, we are calling on the Milwaukee Police Department to swiftly begin issuing citations for those operating unregistered vehicles. This aligns with the previous findings and recommendations of the City-County Carjacking and Reckless Driving Task Force to make sure proper and consistent enforcement is in place as a way to curb reckless driving.

The analytical and anecdotal evidence remains clear that reckless driving remains far too prevalent in our city. We receive calls to such effects regularly, and in 2020, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office recorded the highest ever total number of motor vehicle accident deaths. This underscores the need for action to keep our streets safe, and enforcement is a key part of that equation.

We would also encourage residents to check your vehicle registration status to ensure you’re driving a properly registered vehicle, and if needed, act promptly to make sure you are compliant.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.