Governor Walker Highlights State Efforts to Improve Highway Safety

Press Release

Governor Scott Walker provided a keynote address today at the 42nd Annual Governor's Conference on Highway Safety.

The theme for the 2016 Governor's Conference on Highway Safety is "Driving Fatalities Toward Zero," which demonstrates the state's commitment to highway safety and encourages citizens to work together to reach the goal of zero preventable deaths on Wisconsin roads. During his remarks, Governor Walker highlighted measures that have helped decrease preventable fatalities across Wisconsin.

"Our theme for this year's Conference on Highway Safety emphasizes our bottom line, which is getting the number of driving deaths in Wisconsin down to zero," Governor Walker said. "To make this goal a reality, we must work together and ensure we're doing everything we can to eliminate fatalities on the road. The conference today provides a forum for ideas on how we can strengthen safety measures moving forward."

The conference runs from August 23 -- August 25, 2016, and features several seminars and workshops, including Money in Motion, Motorcycle Safety, Drug Impaired Driving, Traffic Safety in Plain Communities, and Traffic Incident Management Technology 25 Years from now.

Highway safety is an ongoing priority in Wisconsin. In addition to the Annual Governor's Conference on Highway Safety, Wisconsin has groups that work throughout the year to promote highway safety, including:

The Traffic Safety Commission -- All 72 Wisconsin counties are required to have a Traffic Safety Commission, which must include a Chief Law Enforcement Officer, Highway Safety Coordinator, Highway Commissioner, DOT engineer from the regional office, Regional Program Manager, a State Patrol designee, as well as representatives from the education, medicine, and legal professions.

The Governor's Council on Highway Safety -- The council's purpose is to provide advice to the Governor, WisDOT Secretary, and the Highway Safety Coordinator on highway safety matters. They review policies that address behavioral highway safety issues, such as occupant protection, impaired driving, distracted driving, and speeding.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) Traffic Safety Council -- Responsible for authoring the Wisconsin Strategic Highway Safety Plan. The 2014-2016 plan included several priorities, including improving the design and operation of intersections, reducing speed-related crashes and curb aggressive driving, providing safe pedestrian and bicycle travel, reducing the number of unbelted fatalities, improving motorcycling safety, and improving incident management and safe travel in poor weather conditions. These priorities will help Wisconsin reach the goal of "driving fatalities toward zero."
To promote the safety of all Wisconsin travelers, the state also has in place several traffic safety campaigns. The Click It or Ticket safety belt mobilization between May 23 and June 5 this year involved hundreds of law enforcement agencies across Wisconsin. The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign underway now through Labor Day involves 33 OWI task forces and about 200 state and local law enforcement agencies. The Booze and Belts campaign is typically held in late December.

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