08/13/2020- Just because traffic counts are down following the COVID-19 outbreak doesn’t necessarily mean Wisconsin roads are any safer- that message from representatives with the State’s Bureau of Transportation Safety. Year-to-date crash data was presented at Marinette County’s Traffic Safety Commission meeting Wednesday and Randy Weissinger with BOTS says while the number of fatalities locally sits at just 1 in 2020, as compared to 5 in the same time frame last year, the number of serious injury crashes has increased by about 60%. Weissinger says, at least statewide, they’re seeing more accidents caused by drivers traveling at a high rate of speed.

There’s also been an increase in the number of passenger deaths in 2020 throughout Wisconsin. In the first seven months of the year, the state saw a total of 315 fatalities on the road.