'Summer Heat' Program Starts July 2 to Crack Down on Speeders

Officers from 120 law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin will crack down on speeding and other dangerous driving behaviors that cause crashes during the Summer Heat mobilization from Monday, July 2, to Wednesday, July 18. In addition, the Wisconsin State Patrol will deploy its airplanes during Summer Heat to detect speeders from the air and relay that information to officers on the ground for enforcement action.

To bolster enforcement by putting more officers on patrol for longer hours, agencies participating in Summer Heat will receive federal funding from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Bureau of Transportation Safety. The mobilization will be backed by new Zero In Wisconsin television, radio and web messages from WisDOT highlighting why drivers need to slow down or risk getting stopped and ticketed.

Speeding is prevalent and deadly in Wisconsin, according to State Patrol Major Sandra Huxtable, director of the WisDOT Bureau of Transportation Safety. Last year, 160 people were killed and 7,700 injured in speed-related crashes.

“At higher speeds, you’re at greater risk of a crash. Furthermore, the violently destructive forces of a crash become more severe as speeds increase,” Major Huxtable says. “Drivers traveling at high speeds for an extended period of time on the open road also tend to not slow down sufficiently when approaching an intersection, work zone or traffic congestion.”

Speeding is expensive as well as dangerous. Under Wisconsin law, the costs of speeding citations range from $175 all the way up to $893 along with three to six demerit points assessed on the driver’s license. Moreover, insurance premiums often increase with speeding convictions. A citation for driving 25 mph or more over the limit in a 55 or 65 mph zone also requires a 15-day driver’s license suspension.

Despite the obvious dangers and expense of speeding, it is by far the most common traffic conviction in Wisconsin. Last year, drivers amassed more than 180,000 speeding convictions statewide.

Many people speed in a futile attempt to get where they’re going a little sooner. But as Major Huxtable points out, “You’re actually going to be delayed significantly if you’re stopped by a law enforcement officer or are involved in a crash because you were speeding. By slowing down, you can save both time and money as well as conserve fuel. And even more important, you can help make progress toward the goal of zero preventable traffic deaths in Wisconsin.”