MILWAUKEE — Lawmakers in Wisconsin hope bigger fines and more time behind bars can help curb reckless driving across the state as Gov. Tony Evers signed two bills into law Wednesday.
The bipartisan solutions are meant not just for Milwaukee, but Wisconsin as a whole.
Oct. 12, 2022 is a day Abbie Strong won’t soon forget.
“My husband became a statistic,” Strong explained. “He was added to the list of other 112 victims in Wisconsin to die at the hands of a reckless driver.”
Milwaukee Pastor Aaron Strong was killed by a 22-year-old reckless driver who ran a red light downtown.
“He didn’t ask for this sentence,” Strong said. “He was an innocent victim whose life ended much earlier than anyone who knew him would’ve wanted. He was simply doing what he always did. He dropped his kids off at school and came to work here at Grace Lutheran Church.”
Gov. Evers signed two bills Wednesday in an effort to prevent tragedies like the Strong family experienced.
“Do I think this will immediately stop really bad things from happening? No, but it is surely a great start,” Gov. Evers told reporters after the bill signing ceremony.
The first bill signed into law increased the fines for reckless driving and subsequent offenses. Under the new law, the maximum penalty for a first offense is now $400 and the max fine for a second offense is $1,000.
Prior to the second bill signed into law Wednesday, someone who used force, or threatened to use force, to steal a vehicle could be charged with operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent.
Now, that crime is officially recognized as “carjacking,” and it comes with stiffer penalties too, thanks to a second bill.
If someone uses a weapon to steal a car, they would now be guilty of the second highest felony in Wisconsin and face up to 60 years in prison.
Previously, if someone did that, they would face up to 40 years behind bars.
People who steal a vehicle by force without a weapon would still face up to 15 years in prison.
Using the opportunity to turn pain into a positive, kids from the soccer team Pastor Aaron coached gathered to see the final steps of the political process play out.
“For all of the young people that are present here today, I hope this serves as a lesson for you, that advocacy makes a difference,” State Sen. LaTonya Johnson, D-Milwaukee, told the crowd.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who supported the legislation praised Strong for sharing her story.
“Each of you realizes the huge impact that reckless driving has had, not only in Milwaukee, but throughout the state of Wisconsin,” State Rep. Bob Donovan, R-Greenfield, said. “I especially want to thank Abbie for her wonderful, and difficult, and challenging testimony.”
It is the sort of challenge that has become somewhat of a new calling for Strong.
“Over the past seven months, I have seen that my pain serves a bigger purpose, and this has motivated me to advocate for the families and the victims of reckless driving so that they don’t have to endure this type of pain,” Strong said.
Wednesday’s bill signing was not the first effort to curb reckless driving in Wisconsin this year.
Last month, Evers signed a bipartisan bill that allows towns and cities to tow the vehicles of reckless drivers if they have previous unpaid fines.