About Those Wrong-Way Crashes On Milwaukee's Freeways
Milwaukee media have been saturated with stories about nearly 30 wrong-way crashes on area freeways, often involving drunk drivers, killing and maiming people.
I was out on the freeways late on two night this week, and the spate of crashes and new coverage does make you alert for headlights where they shouldn't be.
Some thoughts:
* I remember a few years ago that Sheriff David Clarke thought a portion of the Marquette Interchange had become less safe following its expansion and reconstruction. Was there anything to his allegations?
* Maybe the wider ramps and glitzy new bridges induce faster, reckless driving, or create a false sense of security. I noticed this week, as I have before, that no one drives 50 mph as posted. Traffic in the Marquette Thursday night was moving faster than 65. It routinely exceeds 75 when you get into Waukesha County, where the race is really on.
* Last-minute lane-changes are the norm.
* Has anyone - - like WisDOT - - mapped the occurrence of crashes, or fatalities, before and after reconstruction?
* And isn't it time for local and state authorities, as they study why there have been so many wrong-way crashes, coordinate a educational campaign and crack-down on OWI on and close to the freeways>
2 comments:
If you can stomach it, watch the little pocket rockets (crazy HP-to-weight ratios)in car commercials during the football games tomorrow. This marketing is nothing but an invitation for fools--particularly drunk/high fools--to imitate the speeding-on-freeways of the car makers' hype. "Don't try this yourself: professional driver on a closed course".
James - the enforcement on the "freeways" has been almost nonexistent. Speed limits used to be 50mph between the zoo and M interchange. The only time I see the sheriff is during an accident. It's a joke.
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