CITY officials are cracking down on reckless drivers with harsher penalties including a $500 fine and jail time.
Repeat speeders will now face state charges after authorities eliminated a loophole that allowed drivers to stay off the hook.
Wisconsin drivers now face harsher penalties if they’re caught reckless driving more than once (stock image)[/caption]
Reckless drivers could get a $500 fine or up to a year in jail (stock image)[/caption]
Leaders in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, announced this week that the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office will now charge drivers when they’re caught reckless driving more than once.
Milwaukee City Attorney Evan Goyke said at a news conference that his office will no longer drop or amend first municipal driving tickets, meaning drivers caught again will face criminal charges.
Previously, the legislation only prosecuted drivers on their second violation if it was within four years after the first offense.
“The elimination of this lookback makes the utility of repeat reckless driving more prosecutable,” Goyke said at a news conference, according to local ABC affiliate WISN-TV.
“We had this narrow window of looking back into a driver’s record.
“That really narrowed the number of individuals subject to these criminal penalties. That window is now eliminated.”
If drivers are convicted, they’ll face a $500 fine or up to a year in jail.
Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Kent Lovern said that his office will recommend jail time for the crime.
“People in Milwaukee and throughout Milwaukee County have said repeatedly that they want a stronger response to reckless driving,” Lovern said, according to WISN-TV.
“Those of us in public safety feel that we have to deliver that stronger response to them. We can do that; we must do that.”
The law says that the fine won’t be less than $100 and won’t be over $1,000.
In Wisconsin, prosecutors charge reckless drivers who are speeding, driving erratically or aggressively, failing to pay attention on the road, or improperly changing lanes.
The state’s Department of Transportation reports that a first offense could lead to a fine of up to $400.
WisDOT encouraged reckless driving prevention in July and shared that last year, there were over 5,500 reckless driving crashes in the state.
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
The reckless driving resulted in 3,081 people injured and 137 people dead.
“We have seen a culture of reckless driving form in Wisconsin,” State Patrol Superintendent Tim Carnahan said at the time, according to local CBS affiliate WFRV-TV at the time.
“We need to encourage one another to pay attention on the roads and follow the rules put in place to protect each other.
“We have to work together to shift the culture of distracted and reckless driving to prevent further lives lost.”
CRACKING DOWN
If someone is seriously injured in a reckless driving crash, the driver could face up to six years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines in the state.
Brazen drivers are facing harsher penalties across the country as officials begin to crack down on the harmful behavior.
A new law in Washington DC seeks to punish out-of-town drivers who are careless on the road with the help of traffic cameras.
Millions of drivers in Louisiana risk $100 fines for using the wrong lane, which is considered a form of reckless driving.
Aggressive drivers in Delaware can also face fines from $100 to $300 for having road rage.
