MADISON, Wis. — Milwaukee-area lawmakers are calling for state government to pass more measures to crack down on reckless driving after a rash of so-called street takeovers.
That’s when drivers and large groups of spectators illegally gather in intersections, blocking traffic to perform donuts and burnouts, light off fireworks, and race. The Milwaukee Police Department has reported more than 50 street takeovers in the city so far this year.
WATCH: Milwaukee-area lawmakers want more reckless driving safeguards in response to street takeovers
“They just take over these streets with these vehicles. It certainly qualifies as reckless driving,” Republican Rep. Bob Donovan said.
Donovan is calling on the state Senate to pass a bill he authored that would allow police to tow and impound any vehicles used in reckless driving offenses, regardless of the driver’s criminal history or who owns the vehicle.
That bill passed the Assembly in March with unanimous support but has since stalled. Republicans who control the state Senate have yet to schedule it for a vote.
“This would be one more tool in the toolbox to really help the police put an end to this. They could come in, confiscate those vehicles, tow them away,” Donovan said. “We need to move on this as quickly as we can.”
Democratic Sen. LaTonya Johnson voted to pass that bill out of the Senate’s public safety committee and wants to see it and other reckless driving measures signed into law. On Monday, she announced plans to reintroduce a bill that would let the city of Milwaukee use red-light cameras. Several similar proposals have been introduced in recent years but failed to pass in the Legislature.
“We need these measures in place to make sure that everyone who lives in the city of Milwaukee or those who even come into the city are safe,” Johnson said. “We’ve seen way too many casualties from reckless driving.”
Johnson also wants to see the state help fund safer road designs in Milwaukee.
“A lot of the streets in the city of Milwaukee were built for convenience and speed. A lot of those more dangerous intersections are in my district,” she said. “So, making sure that we can make those lanes smaller, take out some of those lanes, and have fewer areas on the right sides for cars to pass will do a lot in making sure that that traffic is calmed.”
City leaders, meanwhile, are working on their own solutions, including proposed fines for spectators at street takeovers.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
