MILWAUKEE — Since 2017, Milwaukee County has seen a decrease in traffic fatalities, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
Overall, Wisconsin has had less traffic fatalities in recent years. In 2017, there were 445 traffic-related deaths, compared to 428 in 2018. This year, there have been 421 fatal crashes, according to the Wisconsin DOT.
Across the nation, highway crash fatalities decreased in 2018, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report. There were 36,560 highway fatalities, down 913 fatalities from 2017.
The report also found that child fatalities declined 10.3%, alcohol-related driving deaths declined 3.6%, speeding deaths declined 5.7% and motorcyclist deaths declined 4.7%.
"NHTSA has spent recent years partnering with state and local governments and safety advocates to urge the public to never drive impaired or distracted, to avoid excessive speed, and to always buckle up," said NHTSA Acting Administrator James Owens.
The number of fatalities in the first-half of 2019 is less than the number of fatalities during the same period of 2018, according to the report.
