MILWAUKEE — A brand new crash analysis takes a comprehensive look at the state of reckless driving in Milwaukee. It highlights the harm the problem is causing for people walking, biking and driving in our city.
Let’s go in-depth on a few key findings that may surprise you.
There’s a lot to digest in the 150-page report, but one thing is very clear about driving behavior in Milwaukee.
"It is getting worse and it is a problem,” said Mike Amsden with the Department of Public Works.
Amsden says the problem he sees so clearly in the analysis is reckless driving.
"The reckless driving epidemic as many people call it is getting worse,” he said.
That’s just one revelation in the report that’s loaded with them.
Total crashes with injuries went down over the past two decades, but the worst crashes, severe and deadly, continue to climb.
The 26-year study found streets with 30 m.p.h. speed limits are by far the most dangerous no matter how you get around.
Amsden says it’s primarily due to drivers speeding, wide roads and heavy traffic.
"We have a lot more 30 miles per hour streets in the city, but when you look at per mile, they're still more dangerous and that's what really surprised me,” he said.
D.P.W. data shows 30 m.p.h. zones account for 19 percent of the city’s street miles, but they are home to half of Milwaukee’s severe crashes.
Even more specific are these five intersections. This is where the most serious crashes have occurred over the past five years.
Fond du Lac Ave. and Locust St. is at the top of the list. The city report says crashes there have cost society $44 million over the last half-decade. Estimated property damage, hospital bills, loss of future income and quality of life is factored into the equation.
But what’s arguably the most surprising detail in the report is what’s considered the most dangerous driving maneuver: passing on the right.
“Milwaukee is known for the ‘Milwaukee slide’. Does this report prove that behavior is incredibly dangerous?” TMJ4 reporter Ben Jordan asked.
"Absolutely,” replied transportation planner Marissa Meyer.
Meyer says crashes caused by passing on the right don’t happen nearly as often as other types of crashes, but when they do, they tend to be the most severe.
"It's a surprise, it's unexpected and often the driver overtaking can't see the pedestrian or bicyclist and the pedestrian or bicyclist can't see that driver coming,” she said.
And then there’s the human factor. When drivers crash, who do they hurt?
It’s not just the drivers. In fact, D.P.W. data shows less than 1 percent of people inside cars are seriously injured or killed in Milwaukee crashes. That jumps to 8 percent if you’re riding a bike and a staggering 17 percent for people walking.
Altogether, D.P.W. says it’s critical information to help determine where future traffic calming solutions would have the biggest impact on reckless driving behavior.
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