Reckless driving resolution; Milwaukee mayor backs plan, tow vehicles

Milwaukee mayor backs reckless driving plan

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson signed a reckless driving resolution on Monday.

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson signed a reckless driving resolution on Monday.

The proposal adds additional circumstance under which reckless drivers could have their vehicles towed.

Reckless driving is something John Wilson said he sees every day outside his home on Milwaukee's northwest side.

"It’s all the time, you get cars speeding up and down here," he said. "We’ve got kids that play down there in the cul-de-sac, and kids that play back here. Some of these people, they don’t seem to realize the dangers they put other people in."

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation said reckless driving hurts roughly 3,000 people every year across the state. Data shows more than 100 people in Wisconsin died in 2022, caught in the crosshair of careless driving.

"We cannot, and we will not accept the current frequency of reckless driving that we’re seeing in our community," Johnson said.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson

The resolution the mayor signed Monday is legally non-binding and asks Wisconsin lawmakers to pass legislation that allows the city to tow any cars involved in reckless driving incidents.

"Under current law, towing is limited to circumstances like when a car is being used to drive recklessly, and is unregistered," Johnson said.

Wilson said it is a start, but not enough. With grandchildren of his own, he fears for the worst.

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"The way people drive out here, it’s probably going to happen again," he said. "I hate to say it."

Drivers can face up to $400 in fines for a first reckless driving offense. However, if someone gets seriously hurt, the driver could face up to six years in prison and $10,000 in fines.