State Troopers will be riding high looking for distracted driving

The Wisconsin State Patrol will be performing a higher level of traffic enforcement this month… literally.

The organization will be taking part in their “Trooper in a Truck enforcement” which places a trooper riding along in a semi or a bus to look for traffic violations on Wisconsin highways.

The program, designed to reduce the number of crashes and injuries involving commercial motor vehicles, will take place on highways across the state from July 8 through July 12.

The department says Wisconsin has averaged about 7,000 crashes involving large trucks every year. In 2023, 70 people died in those incidents. Distracted driving contributed to many of the crashes. Trooper in a Truck focuses on stopping distracted driving. When an officer identifies a violation from the truck or bus, they will radio to patrol cars in the area for appropriate enforcement action. They will also be on the lookout for other dangerous driving behaviors like speeding, reckless driving and following too close.