Police Department Increasing OWI, Seat Belt Enforcement

To combat drunken driving and increase safety belt use, the will intensify its traffic safety enforcement from March 5 to 21, 2012, which includes the St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

The increased enforcement is part of a $70,000 grant that the Waukesha Police Department received from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Safety.

“During the St. Patrick’s Day mobilization and throughout the year, we are striving to prevent motorists from killing and injuring themselves and others on our roadways,” said Lt. Kevin Kober. “Although we’re trying to increase voluntarily compliance with traffic laws—not to write more tickets or make more arrests—we will take enforcement action if voluntary compliance fails.

“We are serious about traffic safety enforcement because far too many needless deaths and serious injuries are due to drunken driving and not wearing safety belts. Our goal is to reduce preventable traffic deaths to zero in Wisconsin because even one preventable traffic fatality is one too many.”

Editor's note: The above information was provided to Patch via a news release from the Waukesha Police Department.