Fire & Rescue

Minnesota and Wisconsin pass last year’s highway death tolls

Published

4 years ago

December 8, 2020

Brad Williams

Minnesota has already posted more traffic deaths this year than in all of 2019, and Wisconsin has now done the same.

As of Sunday, 367 people in Minnesota had been killed in traffic accidents this year, compared to 364 for all of 2019.

Last year, 551 people died on Wisconsin roads, and the state passed that number this year before November was over.

The death toll for 2020 could reach the most recent high of 594, reported in 2017.

Jackson County remains one of just two Wisconsin counties with no highway deaths yet this year.

La Crosse County’s latest count for the year is five traffic deaths, equal to the total from 2019.

The director of Minnesota’s department of public safety calls the increase ‘tragic’ and ‘preventable,’ especially because traffic in general has been down because of the pandemic.

Director Mike Hanson says many drivers seem to be using the decline in traffic to violate laws, by speeding more and buckling up less.

Brad Williams

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.