Democratic Gov. Tony Evers announced Monday that he has signed a Republican-authored bill that would allow local governments to impound repeat reckless drivers’ vehicles.
The legislation is part of a Republican push to crack down on reckless driving around the state but particularly in Milwaukee. Rep. Bob Donovan, one of the bill’s sponsors, said in written remarks submitted to the Assembly public safety that the Milwaukee Police Department issued 497 citations for reckless driving in 2022. That’s up 32% from 2021.
The bill allows counties and municipalities to pass ordinances allowing police to impound reckless drivers’ vehicles if the driver has a prior reckless driving citation and hasn’t paid the forfeiture for that offense.
Evers said in a statement that everyone deserves to feel safe but reckless driving and other dangerous behavior is putting people at risk across the state.
Republicans also are pushing another bill that would double fines and forfeitures for reckless driving and nearly double prison time for reckless driving that causes great bodily harm. The bill is awaiting a floor vote in the Senate.
The bill is the first measure Evers has signed into law since the 2023-25 legislative session began in January.
