Traffic Safety
Making our roadways safer is everyone’s responsibility. No one—whether driving a car, riding as a passenger, riding a bike, or walking—should be injured or die on a Wisconsin roadway. Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death, both statewide and nationally. In Wisconsin, traffic injury causes an average of 613 deaths and 2,753 hospitalizations each year. To prevent roadway deaths and injuries, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) has adopted the Safe System Approach.
The Safe System Approach
The Safe System Approach aims to create a transportation system that prevents death and serious injury for all roadway users by focusing on the root causes of crashes. The Safe System Approach emphasizes that:
- Humans make mistakes.
- Humans are vulnerable to injury and death from the energy of a crash.
- Crashes are preventable.
- Death and serious injury from a crash are not acceptable.
- Roadways, vehicles, traffic patterns, and policies should be planned with human error and vulnerability in mind.
Wisconsin crash data
Visit the Wisconsin DOT Community Maps – Traffic Safety in Wisconsin dashboard to explore county-level crash data and understand more about the locations, level of severity, and conditions surrounding crashes in Wisconsin. The map is updated daily to display reportable crashes in each Wisconsin county. Users can select time ranges, crash severity, and types of crashes to display on the map.
Safe System Approach
See how the Safe System Approach saves lives.
Safety for Older Drivers
Older drivers face unique challenges on the road.
Teen and Young Adult Drivers
New drivers have higher risk of being in a crash.
Safety equipment
Though not all crashes can be prevented, correct use of safety equipment on roads for vehicles and on sidewalks for bicycles can help prevent serious injury and death.
Seat belts
Seat belts are a simple way to prevent injury or death while on the road. According to 2021 Wisconsin crash data from the Wisconsin DOT, 26% of people who were not wearing a seat belt during a crash were killed or injured. Only 13% of people wearing a seat belt in an accident were injured or killed.
Child car seats and booster seats
Child car seats and booster seats can save lives. Unfortunately, 3 out of 4 child safety seats are not used correctly. The Wisconsin DOT website provides educational resources for parents and caregivers to help them find and install the correct child safety seat.
Helmets
Wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle or bike can prevent serious injury and death, but not all helmets are created equal. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has tips for finding a safe helmet.