A new report finds more African-Americans and non-Hispanic Wisconsinites have died in motor vehicle crashes than white and Hispanic residents.
The new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum finds from 2013 to 2018, the rate of African-Americans in Wisconsin who died in motor vehicle crashes more than doubled, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In raw numbers, motor vehicle deaths for black Wisconsinites increased from 31 in 2013 to 39 in 2014, 56 in 2015, and 62 in 2016. They hit a high of 79 in 2017, and deaths declined to 63 in 2018.
Many of the fatalities occurred in Milwaukee, which saw a sharp increase in speeding-related deaths.
The report cites a few potential factors to explain the trend. They include changes to a Milwaukee Police Department policy that from 2010 to 2017 made it less likely officers would pursue reckless drivers, and changes that restricted access to affordable driver’s education classes for students in the Milwaukee Public Schools for a period of more than a decade ending in 2016. Other potential factors include the economic cycle and its relationship with motor vehicle fatalities, as well as declining transit ridership in the Milwaukee area.
To see the full report, click here.
