According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2022 (the last year for which there is available data) crashes involving speeding accounted for 29% of all traffic fatalities. Additionally, 87% of speeding-related fatalities happened on non-interstate highways.
Speeding can kill.
Our quiet, safe community is not immune to such tragedy. In 2021, a person was killed and several passengers were injured when a driver lost control of his vehicle on Lake Mendota Drive near Frautschi Point. Speeding was determined to be a significant factor in the crash.
In May, several local police agencies began enhanced traffic safety enforcement to help save lives on area roads and highways. The effort will continue through the summer and beyond. UWPD is taking part in several of those initiatives, including dedicated speed enforcement efforts organized by the Middleton Police Department and the Dane County Sheriff’s Office.
I have been approached by University Apartments’ residents and staff with reports of vehicles driving at what they feel are unsafe speeds on many of our roadways. So I will be taking part in many of the aforementioned traffic safety initiatives over the next several months, with a focus on the streets in and around University Apartments.
If you see me in my patrol car out in the community, give me a wave…but make sure you keep within the posted speed limits.
Jeff Kirchman
University Apartments Community Police Officer
608-264-2677 | jkirchman@wisc.edu
University Apartments Community Center, Room 131