MILWAUKEE — A bipartisan group of state lawmakers are introducing legislation to stiffen reckless driving penalties in Wisconsin.
The effort is being led by Republican state representative and former Milwaukee alderman Robert Donovan.
“It is vitally important that we say enough’s enough,” said Rep. Donovan.
Donovan says he thinks deterring reckless driving behavior requires doubling the punishments to ensure accountability.
“The only way that this can really send a strong message is by getting tough with the individuals who engage in this activity,” he said.
That’s why Donovan authored a pair of bills focused on increasing penalties.
The first bill would double reckless driving citation fines. Currently, a first reckless driving offense in Wisconsin comes with a maximum fine of $200. The bill would increase that amount up to $400. A second reckless driving traffic violation would cost the driver up to $1,000 according to the bill’s text.
The bill would also allow judges to double the jail time for criminal reckless driving offenses. A maximum sentence for ‘Reckless Driving Causing Great Bodily Harm’ would go from 18 months to three years behind bars by elevating the felony from a ‘Class I’ to a ‘Class H’.
"If people know that there are going to be consequences for their bad behavior, they adjust their behavior,” Donovan said.
The second bill would allow municipalities to pass an ordinance to authorize police to tow vehicles if a person is caught driving recklessly and has a prior reckless driving fine within the past four years that has not been paid. The driver would have 90 days to pay the citation fine and tow fee in order to get their vehicle back.
“Most of these individuals, if they own that vehicle, they don’t want to lose it,” Donovan said.
The bills have several co-sponsors on both sides of the aisle including Rep. LaKeshia Myers, a Milwaukee Democrat.
“I think this is where we are,” she said. “I think at a certain point in time, you make to make a decision and I think you have to stand up to people that are intentionally breaking the law in your community.”
"It’s not just a nail ‘em, jail ‘em, and bail ‘em kind of situation,” said Rep. Supreme Moore Omokunde, a fellow Milwaukee Democrat.
Moore Omokunde worries harsher penalties would make matters worse.
“My concern is as it’s always been with the punitive approach is that we’re going to look to lock people up and it’s not going to solve the challenges we have and I think this exacerbates that.”
Rep. Donovan and co-sponsors are gearing up for a public hearing next week, which is the next step in the legislative process.
