Crashes up 25% in Superior, police conducting extra enforcement

SUPERIOR, WI -- Superior Police are conducting extra traffic enforcement as data shows crashes across the city are up 25% this year.

Police officer Bradley Jago says Superior’s increase mirrors a nationwide trend.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), traffic crashes increased 18.4% nationwide during the first half of 2021, which is the largest six-month increase ever recorded.

Crashes up 25% in Superior, police conducting extra enforcement(KBJR 6/CBS 3)

Jago said the goal of the department’s increased traffic enforcement will be to prevent “hazardous traffic situations which will ultimately prevent/reduce traffic crashes.”

Studies show increasing speeding, safety belt violations, failure-to-yield right of way, and inattentive driving enforcement reduce the severity of crashes and reduce the overall number of crashes.

Jago said Superior officers will start conducting traffic stops for those violations along routes showing an increase in crash frequency.

They plan to put extra attention to the Belknap Viaduct area, as police say a large amount of traffic has been funneled to the Bong Bridge area due to construction at the “Can of Worms,” and along E. 2nd St.

“The greatest tool available to any community in terms of reducing crashes, however, is in the hands of the drivers themselves. Simply by slowing down and buckling up, drivers can play a huge part in the reduction of crashes,” police said.