DRIVERS could face $100 fines as a new road restriction is set to be brought in.
Motorists will see additional efforts made to tackle speeding, but the penalty won’t be given by a police officer.
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Looking out for cops while you’re driving over the speed limit won’t help save you from this infraction.
If this legislation passes, new cameras will be installed on busy roads that will automatically cite speeding drivers.
The fines will be processed and delivered to any motorist driving more than 15 mph over the speed limit, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
However, there are issues facing this potential new rule, proposed by Wisconsin and Milwaukee policymakers .
State Sen. Dora Drake, D-Milwaukee, is working alongside city leaders to pass the “Safe Roads Save Lives Act”.
The law hopes to help combat the city’s notorious reckless driving problem.
However, state law currently prohibits the city from installing the cameras.
“This bill is about giving Milwaukee the ability to protect its people. Nothing more. Nothing less,” said state Sen. Latonya Johnson at a press conference announcing the bill.
The bill, which has yet to be introduced, would see the installation of up to five cameras in a city district.
It could cite speeders anywhere between $50 and $100 per violation.
And while the fines will be processed automatically when the infraction is recorded, Milwaukee police would be tasked with enforcing the tickets.
Theses cameras are the latest development in Milwaukee’s Vision Zero initiatives, first announced in 2022.
Milwaukee’s Mayor Cavalier Johnson announced the city’s commitment to the international program, which aims to eliminate traffic-related deaths and injuries by 2037.
The city has already worked to bump out sidewalks, create bus and bike lanes, and install speed humps.
Milwaukee County also announced a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan to find solutions in the area’s 25 “corridors of concern”.
What is reckless driving?
Laws across the country are cracking down on careless drivers who endanger other people on the road. Here are some behaviors that are considered reckless driving:
- Speeding
- Street racing
- Aggressive driving/road rage
- Tailgating
- Driving under the influence
- Using a phone while driving
- Running red lights
- Inattentive driving
- Improperly changing lanes
- Not signaling
- Carrying too many passengers
- Weaving in and out of traffic
Jessica Wineberg, Milwaukee’s Vision Zero policy director, said 59% of serious injury and fatal car crashes are concentrated on 9% of the city’s roads.
These routes would become a priority for the camera installations.
“Traffic safety cameras are the single most effective tool at lowering speeds, but we’re not allowed to have them in Milwaukee,” she said.
“We’re so looking forward to this bill.”
If the bill passes, there is a planned public campaign to get community input.
Public notices would then be sent before cameras could be installed.
According to Sen. Latonya Johnson, cities that implement the surveillance program have reported a 54% decrease in crashes, while injuries from crashes went down by 47%.
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