Despite less travel, the National Safety Council says vehicle deaths rose 8% during the last year. Wisconsin officials says the increase can be seen in the Badger state.
Preliminary data from the NSC showed 42,000 people died in crashes in 2020 compared to 39,000 in 2019. Wisconsin was one of the states that saw the rise.
Director of the Bureau of Transportation, David Pabst said, "what we did see what a drop in vehicle crashes, but fatalities went up."
The crashes that do happen are more severe. And the DOT says there's one group predominantly responsible.
"A lot of these fatalities involve males in the 25-34 age range. They're the risk takers that we try to deal with all the time in highway safety," continued Pabst.
11% of drivers in the state don't wear a seatbelt. In comparison, 43% of crashed involved drivers not wearing a seat belt.
Pabst says if you don't wear yours, "you can have the safest vehicle in the world, but if i'm not wearing my seatbelt -- the basic piece of safety equipment -- none of the other stuff will help."
Those choices making a substantial difference in the larger picture.
Wood County Sheriff's Department lieutenant Charles Hoogesteger explained, "the five year state fatality average is 581, and in 2020 that average actually increased to 601 in date we received this morning."
The advice from traffic enforcement is nothing new, that's because it works.
"Just slow down take your time and really pay attention to those around you on the roadways," said Hoogesteger.
The DOT says the key to decreasing fatality numbers will be getting the message to that 25 to 34 year old age group.
