'It's a good trend': Fatalities on Wisconsin roadways on the decline

Andy Thompson

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Traffic crowds Interstate 41 between Appleton and Little Chute.

APPLETON - The reasons are difficult to pinpoint, but traffic deaths in Wisconsin are on the decline in 2018.

“It’s a good trend,” said David Pabst, director of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s bureau of safety. “But it’s a little early to speculate as to why.”

The state's death toll was at 309 as of last Thursday, compared with 330 at the same time in 2017. Pabst said that amounts to a reduction of 6 percent.

In 2017, there were 594 fatalities, and state officials hope the downward trend will continue into the fall and winter months of this year.

Road deaths nationwide also are dropping. In the first quarter of 2018, fatalities were down by 3.6 percent from the same period in 2017, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The estimated number of deaths in the first three months of the year was 7,950, compared with an estimated 8,250 deaths in the first quarter of 2017.

The reduction in fatalities in Wisconsin is due, in part, to fewer passenger deaths (48 in 2018, and 59 in 2017) and a drop in pedestrian deaths (21 in 2018, 35 in 2017).

Pabst said only two fatalities were reported on the Fourth of July, a number that is typically higher. “That was a pretty safe Fourth of July,” he said.

He said it’s possible that more passengers are using their seatbelts and suggested that drivers “are making some better decisions.”

“The issues that cause the most problems are failing to wear your seatbelt, driving under the influence, speeding and distracted driving,” he said.

The decline in fatalities comes at a time when there is considerable traffic on state roads.

“There’s lots of traffic out there and it is continuing to increase,” Pabst said. “There’s so much more volume and more registered cars and more drivers than there has ever been.”

While the reasons for the decline in fatalities in 2018 are elusive, Pabst hopes the trend continues for the rest of the year.

“It’s certainly encouraging over last year,” he said.