May 1, 2015
Chief of Police
RE: One Pedestrian Is Injured or Killed Every 6.9 Hours in Wisconsin
Dear Chief *,
Last summer, I wrote you and all of the other police chiefs and mayors in Milwaukee County urging you to do whatever it takes to stop pedestrians with the right-of-way from getting killed or injured. Unfortunately, pedestrian fatalities rose by more than 25% in Wisconsin in 2014. 2015 isn’t off to a promising start either. On April 2, a pedestrian in a crosswalk was struck by a drunk driver near the corner of 20th and Locust.
I am asking you to more diligently enforce pedestrian right-of-way laws by issuing citations. If law enforcement officials start taking pedestrian right-of-way laws more seriously, motorists will soon follow suit as they have in California.
As a leader in the Milwaukee community, I feel it is my duty to educate the public about these matters. I will not sit back and let pedestrian fatalities continue to rise. My law firm has promoted “Yield To Pedestrians,” “DNT TXT N DRV” and “Watch For Motorcycles” campaigns throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa.
I am pleased to hear that the Department of Justice has allocated $30,000 to fund a task force to improve pedestrian safety. It’s encouraging to see that this issue is becoming a national priority. Making the streets of Milwaukee safer and more walkable will benefit everyone. For this to happen, motorists who put pedestrians in danger must be ticketed as consistently as those who drink and drive.
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Can I, along with Milwaukee County pedestrians, count on you to make our streets safer?
Sincerely,
HUPY AND ABRAHAM, S.C.
Michael F. Hupy
MFH/jc
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