Milwaukee police, city leaders launch billboard campaign to help stop reckless driving

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- It's a push to end reckless driving in the city of Milwaukee.

Police and local leaders came together to debut the second phase of an initiative to combat the issue.

In this phase, the Traffic Safety Unit is taking to new heights.

They, and other city leaders, launched a billboard campaign to get residents involved.       

Milwaukee Police hope their new campaign serves as a daily reminder to drivers.

Acting Chief Jeffrey Norman said law enforcement can't fight this crisis alone.

"We all play an important role to end this reckless driving, therefore, we're asking that our residents and community partners discuss the dangers of reckless driving," said Norman.

In the last three-and-a-half months, Milwaukee police issued 8,754 traffic citations. 

Norman said there's been an uptick in enforcement.

Mayor Tom Barrett said reckless driving is also tied to another issue: stolen cars.

"But we all can take steps to do everything we can to make sure our cars aren't stolen. And the reason that's so important is because many of the reckless driving incidents involve stolen cars," said Barrett.

Engineering is the third part of this campaign to slow down reckless drivers.

Ald. Michael Murphy said changes in city streets can have a drastic impact on the roads.

"A good example is Hawley Road where we've seen a 40% reduction in crashes in that location as a result of those engineering solutions," said Murphy.

And in addition to this campaign, grassroots organizations are helping too.

Ald. Murphy said the Common Council authorized $100,000 for 19 community groups to help tackle reckless driving in their neighborhoods.

Motor vehicle fatalities trending 38 percent lower than last year. https://t.co/G2QjEezhIx

— Medical Examiner (@mkemedexamine) June 14, 2021

To learn more about the Traffic Safety Unit's reckless driving campaign, and how you can get involved, click here.