State ends 2008 with fewest traffic deaths since 1944

January 5, 2009

WisDOT launches Zero In Wisconsin traffic safety campaign to reduce traffic fatalities even more

Wisconsin ended 2008 with 589 traffic fatalities, which is the lowest total since 1944 when 526 people died in traffic crashes, according to preliminary statistics from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).

State traffic deaths in 2008 also were down 148 - approximately a 20 percent reduction - from 2007 when 737 people died and 185 fewer than the five-year average of 774 deaths.

"This extraordinary reduction in traffic deaths in 2008 was due in part to record-high gas prices and long stretches of severe weather in the winter and summer that decreased traffic volumes and moderated vehicle speeds. But these factors can't fully explain a 20 percent reduction in fatalities," said Dennis Hughes, chief of safety programs for the WisDOT Bureau of Transportation Safety. "Since most crashes are caused by driver behavior, motorists undoubtedly deserve a great deal of credit for making responsible decisions that saved their lives and the lives of others on the road. This credit should also be shared with law enforcement officers, traffic safety advocates, emergency medical first responders and others who work tirelessly every day to stop the needless loss of lives on our roadways."

New statewide traffic safety media campaign is launched

"In 2008, we had the fewest traffic deaths in Wisconsin since World War II. But that reduction is of little consolation to the families and friends of the 589 people who died in traffic crashes last year," WisDOT Secretary Frank Busalacchi said. "To stop the senseless death and destruction on Wisconsin streets and highways, the goal of our department and our traffic safety partners is to one day attain zero preventable traffic fatalities in Wisconsin. And we feel that the 'Zero in Wisconsin-A Vision We Can All Live With' campaign will help us toward that goal."

The "Zero in Wisconsin-A Vision We Can All Live With" campaign begins in January with statewide television, radio and Web messages based on the theme that even one preventable traffic death is one too many. The messages are hard-hitting and emotional. They will demonstrate vividly to drivers how simple changes in their behavior can save their lives and the lives of others, according to Secretary Busalacchi.

WisDOT and its traffic safety partners will use the "Zero in Wisconsin-A Vision We Can All Live With" campaign to unify and strategically brand the state's highway safety efforts. The campaign also will complement other national and statewide traffic safety efforts, such as the Click It or Ticket safety belt enforcement mobilization.

More information, including the television and radio messages, is available on the Web at ZeroInWisconsin.gov.

* 2008 Wisconsin traffic fatalities summary 

Traffic fatalities by county

Visit the WisDOT Web site at:

http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/drivers/traffic/crash/countyfatality.htm

* PRELIMINARY NUMBER: The statistics for 2008 fatalities will not be final until spring 2009 to account for delays in reporting, revisions in the cause of death, and deaths in 2009 resulting from injuries suffered in crashes in late 2008.

Wisconsin traffic fatalities & fatal crashes since 1990

(Source: Wisconsin Traffic Crash Facts available on the WisDOT Web site at http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/safety/motorist/crashfacts/index.htm)

For more information, contact:
Dennis Hughes, Bureau of Transportation Safety
(608) 267-9075, dennis.hughes@dot.wisconsin.gov

Steve Olson, Office of Public Affairs
(608) 261-5896, steve.olson@dot.wisconsin.gov