1

ANATOMY OF CHIPPEWA COUNTY: A TRAFFIC SAFETY SUMMARY

There were 26 fatal crashes in Chippewa County from 2012 to 2016.

2

THE PLACE

Section Summary Chippewa County contains two principal routes: USH 53 and STH 29. The county is in the top ten

counties for total miles of roads and miles of county highways.

Urbanization

Chippewa County is a part of the Eau Claire metropolitan area, and it is adjacent to the Menomonie

urban cluster. 53.86% of its population lives in urban areas, and 3.45% of the county’s area is urban.1

The Chippewa River cuts through the center of the county roughly north to south.

Road Network

U.S. Highway (USH) 53 is a freeway in the western portion of the county that carries traffic between Eau

Claire to the south and Rice Lake and Superior to the north, crossing through Lake Hallie, Chippewa Falls,

Bloomer, and New Auburn. USH 12 cuts through the far southwestern corner of the county.

State Trunk Highway (STH) 29 is a multilane divided highway that runs west to east through the

southern portion of the county, carrying traffic between Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota to the west

and Wausau and Green Bay to the east. In the county, STH 29 crosses through Lake Hallie, Chippewa

Falls, Cadott, Boyd, and Stanley.

STH 40 travels through the northwestern portions of Chippewa County through Bloomer. To the north,

STH 40 heads to Bruce and Radisson, and to the south, it travels to Colfax and USH 12/STH 29 near Elk

Mound. STH 27 runs south to north, crossing through Cadott and Cornell carrying traffic between Black

River Falls and Ladysmith. STH 64 goes through Bloomer and Cornell, and it travels west toward New

Richmond and east toward Medford. STH 124 begins at USH 53 in Lake Hallie and runs north through

Chippewa Falls to end at STH 64 east of Bloomer. STH 178 begins at STH 29 in Lake Hallie and heads

north through Chippewa Falls and along the Chippewa River to Cornell.

Miles of Roadway

There are 2,144 miles of roadway in the county, including 210 (9.8%) miles of state roads, 489 (22.8%)

miles of county roads, 1,427 (66.6%) miles of local roads, and 18 miles of another type.2

Vehicle Registrations and Vehicle Miles of Travel (VMT)

In 2016, there were 22,968 autos, 4,450 cycles, 7,826 trailers, and 37,770 trucks registered in Chippewa

County.3 VMT in 2016 was 924,193,140.4

1 United States Census Bureau. “Percent urban and rural in 2010 by state and county.” Accessed Sept. 29, 2017. https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/ua/urban-rural-2010.html 2 Wisconsin Department of Transportation. “County Maps.” Accessed Sept. 29, 2017. http://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/travel/road/hwy-maps/county-maps/default.aspx 3 Wisconsin Department of Transportation. “Facts and Figures 2016, Vehicles Registered by County.” Accessed Nov. 6, 2017. http://wisconsindot.gov/Documents/about-wisdot/newsroom/statistics/factsfig/vehregcounty.pdf 4 Wisconsin Department of Transportation. “2016 Vehicles Miles of Travel (VMT) by County.” Accessed Nov. 6, 2017. http://wisconsindot.gov/Documents/projects/data-plan/veh-miles/vmt2016-c.pdf

3

Traffic Volume

As can be seen in Figure 1, traffic volumes in Chippewa County are highest in the southwestern portion

of the county, closest to the City of Chippewa Falls. Peak traffic segments are found on Highway 53

northwest of Chippewa Falls and on Highway 29, which runs along the southern portion of that city.

Nonetheless, traffic volumes are modest in this county, peaking at about 35,000 daily VMT.

FIGURE 1:

Commuting Flows

4

As seen below in Figure 2, the majority of workers who reside in Chippewa County also work in Chippewa County, and vice versa.

FIGURE 2: COMMUTING FLOWS AMONG COUNTIES

Workers who Reside in Chippewa County Work in: People who Work in Chippewa County Reside in:

Chippewa County 18,193 Chippewa County 18,193

Eau Claire County 8,510 Eau Claire County 5,161

Dunn County 838 Dunn County 767

Clark County 472 Clark County 428

Barron County 373 Barron County 401

Rusk County 248 Rusk County 303

Hennepin County, MN 115 Taylor County 149

Taylor County 102 Trempealeau County 138

St. Croix County 87 Washburn County 63

Ramsey County, MN 74 Buffalo County 49

Pierce County 60 Pepin County 36

Ashland County 56

La Crosse County 41

Sawyer County 37

Lincoln County 36

Trempealeau County 35

Others 515 Others 383 5

As seen below in Figure 3, the most common commuting flow between two different municipalities is between residences in Lake Hallie and workplaces in Eau Claire.

FIGURE 3: COMMUTING FLOWS BETWEEN MUNICIPALITIES (TOP 15)

Residence Place of Work Number

Lake Hallie Eau Claire 1,579

Chippewa Falls Eau Claire 1,530

Eau Claire Chippewa Falls 1,421

Lafayette (Town) Chippewa Falls 1,056

Lake Hallie Chippewa Falls 995

Lafayette (Town) Eau Claire 905

Eagle Point (Town) Chippewa Falls 677

Wheaton (Town) Eau Claire 579

Eau Claire Lake Hallie 540

Anson (Town) Chippewa Falls 469

Eagle Point (Town) Eau Claire 389

Bloomer Eau Claire 373

Wheaton (Town) Chippewa Falls 253

Bloomer Chippewa Falls 252

Anson (Town) Eau Claire 250 6

5United States Census Bureau. 2009-2013 5-Year American Community Survey Commuting Flows. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-

series/demo/commuting/commuting-flows.html Accessed Sept. 29, 2017. 6 United States Census Bureau. 2009-2013 5-Year American Community Survey Commuting Flows. https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/commuting/commuting-flows.html Accessed Oct. 5, 2017.

5

THE POPULATION

The population of Chippewa County—about 63,000 individuals—is dispersed through 32 different

jurisdictions. The largest jurisdictions are the city of Chippewa Falls, the village of Lake Hallie, and the

town of Lafayette (populations of 14,084, 6,650, and 5,916 respectively). Most of the remaining

population is found in many smaller jurisdictions. Generally, the population is clustered in the

southwestern portion of the county, surrounding the city of Chippewa Falls and proximate to the larger

community of Eau Claire.

FIGURE 4: POPULATION OF CHIPPEWA COUNTY MUNICIPALITIES (2016)

7

Population Trends

Between 2010 and 2016, the county’s population increased modestly (by about 3.2%). This increase is

particularly notable when considering that many northern counties in the state are losing population.

Overall, the population of Chippewa County mirrors that of the state (the median age of the county is

39.4 while the comparable figure for the state is 39).

7 United States Census Bureau. “Selected Economic Characteristics DP03, Employment Status.” 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_15_5YR_DP03&src=pt Accessed November 4th, 2017.

City of Bloomer, 3,509

City of Chippewa Falls, 14,084

City of Cornell, 1,426

City of Eau Claire, 1,992

City of Stanley, 3,654

Town of Anson, 2,126

Town of Arthur, 770

Town of Auburn, 709

Town of Birch Creek, 528

Town of Bloomer,

1,065

Town of Cleveland,

881

Town of Colburn, 873 Town of Cooks

Valley, 819

Town of Delmar, 954

Town of …

Town of Edson, 1,111

Town of Estella, 444

Town of Goetz,

774 Town of Hallie, 159

Town of Howard, 804

Town of Lafayette, 5,916

Town of Lake Holcombe, 1,058

Town of Ruby, 500

Town of Sampson, 911

Town of Sigel, 1,062

Town of Tilden, 1,504

Town of Wheaton, 2,781

Town of Woodmohr, 955

Village of Boyd, 537

Village of Cadott, 1,424

Village of Lake Hallie, 6,650

Village of New Auburn, 538

6

FIGURE 5 8: POPULATION PYRAMIDS (CHIPPEWA COUNTY ABOVE AND STATE BELOW)

Most jurisdictions in the county are gaining population, albeit at a relatively slow rate (1-4% growth

rates between 2010 and 2016). However, the communities in the southwestern portion of the county

are gaining the greatest number of individuals because of their larger size (again, they are benefitting

from proximity to the larger city of Eau Claire). (In the images, the measure of absolute population

change merely shows the raw population changes between 2010 and 2016, while the measure of

relative population change weights such absolute changes by the base population figures of 2010).9

8 United States Census Bureau. “Selected Economic Characteristics DP03, Employment Status.” 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_15_5YR_DP03&src=pt Accessed November 6th, 2017. 9 The highlighted jurisdiction in the image shows the two jurisdictions that are growing fastest and the two jurisdictions growing the slowest.

7

FIGURE 6:

8

THE ECONOMY

Section Summary

The unemployment rate in Chippewa County has been, on average, the same as that of the state over

the last decade. In general, the county has a high proportion of people that have jobs in production,

transportation, or material moving, and a small proportion of persons that work in management,

business, science, or the arts.

FIGURE 7: EMPLOYMENT BY OCCUPATION (CHIPPEWA COUNTY ON TOP AND THE STATE BELOW) 10

10 United States Census Bureau. “Selected Economic Characteristics DP03, Employment Status.” 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_15_5YR_DP03&src=pt Accessed September 29, 2017.

29.5%

16.7%

21.8%

10.6%

21.4%Management, business, science, andarts

Service

Sales and office

Natural resources, construction, andmaintenance

Production, transportation, andmaterial moving

34.5%

17.0%

23.1%

8.5%

16.9% Management, business, science, andarts occupations

Service occupations

Sales and office occupations

Natural resources, construction, andmaintenance occupations

Production, transportation, andmaterial moving occupations

9

FIGURE 8: EMPLOYED POPULATION BY INDUSTRY (CHIPPEWA COUNTY ON TOP AND STATE BELOW)

11

11 United States Census Bureau. “Selected Economic Characteristics DP03, Employment Status.” 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_15_5YR_DP03&src=pt Accessed September 29, 2017.

4.4%

6.2%

20.6%

1.9%

13.1%

5.0%

1.2%

5.3%

6.0%

22.6%

5.9%

4.4%

3.5%

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining

Construction

Manufacturing

Wholesale trade

Retail trade

Transportation and warehousing, and utilities

Information

Finance and insurance, and real estate

Professional, scientific, and management

Educational services, and health care and social assistance

Arts/recreation, accommodation, and food services

Other services, except public administration

Public administration

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

2.5%

5.3%

18.5%

2.7%

11.3%

4.3%

1.7%

6.1%

8.1%

23.3%

8.7%

4.2%

3.5%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining

Construction

Manufacturing

Wholesale trade

Retail trade

Transportation and warehousing, and utilities

Information

Finance and insurance, and real estate

Professional, scientific, and management

Educational services, and health care and social assistance

Arts/recreation, accommodation, and food services

Other services, except public administration

Public administration

10

FIGURE 9: UNEMPLOYMENT RATES, CHIPPEWA COUNTY AND WISCONSIN, 2007-2016

12

12 United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics. “Labor Force Data by County,” annual averages. https://www.bls.gov/lau/#tables Accessed Sept. 29, 2017.

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Chippewa County 5.4% 5.3% 8.4% 8.4% 7.8% 6.8% 6.7% 5.4% 4.8% 4.4%

Wisconsin 4.9% 4.9% 8.6% 8.7% 7.8% 7.0% 6.7% 5.4% 4.6% 4.1%

2.0%

3.0%

4.0%

5.0%

6.0%

7.0%

8.0%

9.0%

10.0%

11

ALCOHOL RISK FACTORS

Section Summary

Sixty-seven percent of licensees have liquor for sale for consumption on site. Twenty-one percent are

licenses are in Chippewa Falls, 9% are in Bloomer, 8% are in Lake Hallie, and 44% are in towns.

FIGURE 10: ALCOHOL BEVERAGE LICENSES BY JURISDICTION, CHIPPEWA COUNTY

13

Establishments within a municipality but outside the county are not included in the table.

14

13 Wisconsin Department of Revenue. Oct. 4, 2017. “WI Liquor Licenses 2017-18.” 14 Wisconsin Department of Revenue. “Liquor License Report, Liquor License Codes.” https://www.revenue.wi.gov/Pages/OnlineServices/liqlicrpt.aspx. Accessed Oct. 25, 2017.

Blo

om

er

Bo

yd

Cad

ott

Ch

ipp

ewa

Falls

Co

rnel

l

Eau

Cla

ire

Lake

Hal

lie

New

Au

bu

rn

Stan

ley

Tow

ns

Tota

l (B

y Li

q. L

icen

se)

AB or AC 2 5 2 1 1 1 3 15

AL or ALB 4 1 3 6 2 8 1 5 12 42

BB or CW 2 1 7 2 1 4 17

BL or BLB 12 7 4 30 4 1 8 2 5 80 153

Others 2 2

Total (By

Municipality) 20 8 8 48 10 2 18 3 11 101 229

CODE DESCRIPTION

AB Beer for sale off site (convenience stores, grocery stores)

AC Cider for sale off site (convenience stores, grocery stores)

AL Liquor for sale off site (drug stores, wineries)

ALB Beer, wine, or liquor for sale off site

BB Beer for sale on site or off site

BL Liquor for sale on site (winery)

BLB Beer or liquor for sale on site (taverns, supper clubs)

CW Wine for sale on site (restaurants) (usually in conjunction with BB)

12

FIGURE 10.2: ALCOHOL LICENSES IN CHIPPEWA COUNTY BY JURISDICTION

FIGURE 11: ALCOHOL BEVERAGE LICENSES BY TYPE, 2017-2018 (CHIPPEWA COUNTY ON THE LEFT,

STATE ON THE RIGHT)

Bloomer8.7%

Boyd3.5%

Cadott3.5%

Chippewa Falls21.0%

Cornell4.4%

Eau Claire0.9%

Lake Hallie7.9%

New Auburn1.3%

Stanley4.8%

Towns44.1%

AB or AC7%

AL or ALB18%

BB or CW7%

BL or BLB67%

Others1% AB or AC

7%

AL or ALB18%

BB or CW11%BL or BLB

63%

Others1%

13

HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE

Injury-to-Death Ratios

Injury-to-Death ratios are computed by dividing the total number of crash injuries by the crash fatalities.

Higher rates are positive in that fatalities comprise a smaller percentage of crash victims. In general,

higher rates are found in the state’s urbanized southeastern and south-central regions and the Fox

Valley, where crashes are more likely to occur in more developed areas (and thus at slower speeds). In

rural areas, the converse is true (highways and county roads predominate, with crashes occurring at

higher average speeds). Generally, rural areas also suffer from a relative lack of proximate hospitals and

emergency response services, which means that some crashes which would be survivable in urban areas

correspond to fatalities in more rural areas.

Between 2012 and 2017, as can be seen in Figure 12, Chippewa County reported a significantly lower

injury-to-death ratio than the state generally (44.1 vs. 73.1).

Emergency Services

As can be seen in Figure 13, Chippewa County contains three different classified hospitals within county

borders (a level III trauma center in the southwestern portion of the county, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital)

and two different level IV trauma centers, one in northwest and on in the east. A level II trauma center

(May Clinic’s Health System-Eau Claire) is located immediately to the south of the county border, while a

level I trauma center can be accessed about 80 miles to the west, in Saint Paul. 15 The closest level I

trauma center in Wisconsin is located about 100 miles to the south in Milwaukee. A relatively high

concentration of crashes occurs in the county’s northeastern portion, an area farther away from existing

hospitals.

Chippewa County maintains 14 different emergency providers (Figure 14). These companies employ 286

emergency personnel. Consequently, the county is the site of 4.5 emergency response personnel per

1,000 residents. This is slightly higher than the state figure of 4.02 emergency response personnel per

1,000 residents.

15 The trauma capacities of hospitals are rated on a I-IV scale, with some remaining unrated; Level I hospitals have the greatest capacity.

14

FIGURE 12:

15

FIGURE 13:

16

FIGURE 14: NUMBER OF EMT PERSONNEL/JURISDICTION 16

Service License Level Service Name

Number of Personnel

Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) Bloomer Area First Responders 25

Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) New Auburn Area Fire Dept First Responders 15

Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) Anson (Town Of) First Responders 14

Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) Tilden (Township Of) Fire Department First Responders 12

Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) Cadott Fire Dept First Responders 12

Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) Eagle Point FD First Responders 10

Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) Stanley Fire Department 7

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Bloomer Community Ambulance Service 41

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Cadott Community Ambulance 27

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Boyd Edson Delmar Fire Dept Ambulance 23

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Cornell Area Ambulance Service 19

Paramedic with Critical Care Endorsement

Chippewa Fire District 44

Paramedic with Critical Care Endorsement

Chippewa Falls Fire & Emergency Services 29

TEMS Team Chippewa Fire District TEMS 8

FIGURE 14.2: NUMBER AND LEVEL OF EMERGENCY RESPONDERS PER JURISDICTION

16 Department of Health Services, 2017, Received through Happel, C.

17

THE CRASHES

The state of Wisconsin, in a months-long process, solicited input from a diverse variety of stakeholders to create the most recent version of our Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), a document that guides investment and safety decisions for three years. The plan has ten different issue areas. General crash-related statistics for Chippewa County are listed below, and then facts and figures are organized to correspond with these ten issue areas.

GENERAL CRASH-RELATED STATISTICS

FIGURE 15: NUMBER OF CRASHES BY MOST SEVERE INJURY IN THE CRASH AND PERSONS INVOLVED IN

CRASHES BY INJURY SEVERITY

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

2012-2016 Average

Cra

shes

Per

son

s

Cra

shes

Per

son

s

Cra

shes

Per

son

s

Cra

shes

Per

son

s

Cra

shes

Per

son

s

Cra

shes

Per

son

s

Fatality 4 5 11 11 2 2 8 9 1 1 5.2 5.6

Incapacitating Injury

30 43 25 32 27 31 36 46 23 33 28.2 37.0

Non-Incapacitating Injury

108 136 85 115 89 109 87 109 90 106 91.8 115.0

Possible Injury

102 151 98 137 109 143 89 138 131 176 105.8 149.0

No Apparent Injury

869 1,621 1,071 1,985 1,106 2,102 944 1,792 1,063 2,052 1,010.6 1,910.4

Totals 1,113 1,956 1,290 2,280 1,333 2,387 1,164 2,094 1,308 2,368 1,241.6 2,217.0

18

FIGURE 16: FATALITIES AND INCAPACITATING INJURIES BY ROLE, CHIPPEWA COUNTY, 2012-2016

FIGURE 17: FATALITIES AND INCAPACITATING INJURIES BY ROLE, WISCONSIN, 2012-2016

Vehicle drivers make up the highest percentage of fatalities and incapacitating injuries within Chippewa County and the state of Wisconsin.

BICYCLIST2%

DRIVER52%

MOTORCYCLIST14%

MOPED USER1%

VEHICLE PASSENGER

28%

PEDESTRIAN3%

BICYCLIST3%

DRIVER53%

MOTORCYCLIST16%

MOPED USER1%

VEHICLE PASSENGER

20%

PEDESTRIAN7%

19

FIGURE 18: FATAL AND INCAPACITATING INJURIES BY AGE IN CHIPPEWA COUNTY, 2012-2016

FIGURE 19: FATAL AND INCAPACITATING INJURIES BY AGE IN WISCONSIN, 2012-2016

For both Chippewa County and the state of Wisconsin, the highest number of incapacitating injuries and fatalities occurred in the age group 15-24.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

4 &under

5-14 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75-84 85 &over

KILLED INCAPACITATING INJURY

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4 &under

5-14 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75-84 85 &over

KILLED INCAPACITATING INJURY

20

FIGURE 20: TOTAL FATALITIES AND INCAPACITATING INJURIES BY PLACE OF RESIDENCE (CHIPPEWA COUNTY ON LEFT AND STATE OF WISCONSIN ON RIGHT), 2012-2016

*Local is defined as persons with addresses that have ZIP codes fully or partially within the county.

24% of the fatalities and injuries in Chippewa County occurred to non-local individuals.

FIGURE 21: FATALITIES AND INCAPACITATING INJURIES BY STATE OF RESIDENCE (CHIPPEWA COUNTY

ON LEFT AND STATE OF WISCONSIN ON RIGHT), 2012-2016

93% of fatality and injury crashes in Chippewa County occurred to Wisconsin residents.

FIGURE 22: LOCATION OF CRASHES BY ROAD TYPE IN CHIPPEWA COUNTY, 2012-2016

Total Fatal Crashes Total Non-Fatal Injury Crashes

Interstate Highways N/A N/A

US/State Highways 65.4% 42.2%

County Highways 26.9% 19.0%

Local Roads 7.7% 38.8%

The highest percentage of fatal crashes occurred on US/state highways within Chippewa County.

Local*75.12%

Non-Local24.88%

Local*91.77%

Non-Local8.03%

Unknown0.20%

Other, 3%

WI, 93%

MN, 2%

IL, 2%

Other, 2%WI, 92%

IL, 3%

MN, 2%

MI, 1%

21

FIGURE 23: REPORTING OF FATAL AND SERIOUS INJURY CRASHES BY AGENCY, 2012-2016

LEA TOTAL

BLOOMER POLICE DEPARTMENT 2

BOYD POLICE DEPARTMENT 1

CHIPPEWA COUNTY SHERIFF 117

CHIPPEWA FALLS POLICE DEPARTMENT 15

EAU CLAIRE POLICE DEPARTMENT 4

LAKE HALLIE VILLAGE POLICE DEPARTMENT 20

WISCONSIN STATE PATROL 8

TOTAL 167

Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office had the highest reporting of fatal and serious injury crashes within Chippewa County.

ISSUE AREA: IMPROVE SAFETY CULTURE, SAFETY DATA, AND DATA TECHNOLOGY

Because this information is difficult to quantify and visualize, we recommend that readers view the most recent edition of the Wisconsin Strategic Highway Safety Plan at the following location: http://wisconsindot.gov/Documents/safety/education/frms-pubs/strategichwy-17-20.pdf

ISSUE AREA: REDUCE DRIVER DISTRACTION/IMPROVE DRIVER ALERTNESS

FIGURE 24: INATTENTION-RELATED FATAL AND INJURY-CAUSING CRASHES BY LOCATION, 2012-2016

Inattention-Related Fatal Crashes Inattention-Related Non-Fatal Injury Crashes

Interstate Highways N/A N/A

US/State Highways 71.4% 42.3%

County Highways 14.3% 19.3%

Local Roads 14.3% 38.3%

The most common location for inattention-related fatal and serious injury crashes in Chippewa County was on US/state highways.

ISSUE AREA: REDUCE ALCOHOL & DRUG-IMPAIRED DRIVING

FIGURE 25: ALCOHOL OR DRUG-RELATED CRASHES BY LOCATION, 2012-2016

Alcohol or Drug-Related Fatal Crashes Alcohol or Drug-Related Non-Fatal Injury Crashes

Interstate Highways N/A N/A

US/State Highways 62.5% 29.8%

County Highways 25.0% 32.3%

Local Roads 12.5% 37.9%

The most common location for alcohol/drug-related fatal crashes in Chippewa County was on US/state highways.

22

FIGURE 26: IMPAIRED DRIVING STATISTICS IN CHIPPEWA COUNTY, 2012-2016

Average Total Fatal Crashes

Average Non-Fatal Injury Crashes

Average Alcohol or Drug-Related Fatal Crashes

Average Alcohol or Drug-Related Non-Fatal Injury Crashes

5.2 225.8 3.2 24.8

Chippewa County % of alcohol or drug-related fatal crashes to all fatal crashes

61.5%

Wisconsin % of alcohol or drug-related fatal crashes to all fatal crashes

45.0%

Chippewa County had a higher percentage of alcohol or drug-related fatal crashes than the state of Wisconsin.

ISSUE AREA: REDUCE THE INCIDENCE AND SEVERITY OF MOTORCYCLE CRASHES

FIGURE 27: CHIPPEWA COUNTY MOTORCYCLISTS KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED, 2012-2016

% Killed

% Seriously Injured

5-Yr Ave Killed

5-Yr Ave Seriously Injured

County 7.1% 14.6% 0.4 5.4

State 15.3% 16.5% 84.8 525.6

Chippewa County had lower percentages of motorcyclists killed and seriously injured when compared to the state.

ISSUE AREA: IMPROVE NON-MOTORIST SAFETY

FIGURE 28: CHIPPEWA COUNTY PEDESTRIANS KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED, 2012-2016

% Killed

% Seriously Injured

5-Yr Ave Killed

5-Yr Ave Seriously Injured

County 3.6% 3.2% 0.2 1.2

State 8.1% 6.6% 44.8 211.2

Chippewa County had lower percentages of crashes where pedestrians were killed and seriously injured, compared to the state.

23

FIGURE 29: PEDESTRIANS INVOLVED IN CRASHES BY ACTION AND LOCATION, 2012-2016

PEDESTRIAN ACTION

PEDESTRIAN LOCATION TOTAL

BLANK IN CROSSWALK

IN ROADWAY

NOT IN ROADWAY

BLANK 5 4 3 1 13

WALKING NOT FACING TRAFFIC

0 2 9 0 11

DISREGARDED SIGNAL

0 0 1 0 1

DARTING INTO ROAD

2 1 5 0 8

DARK CLOTHING 0 1 2 0 3

WALKING FACING TRAFFIC

0 1 4 0 5

TOTAL 7 9 24 1 41

The most common pedestrian action contributing to crashes was walking not facing traffic, in the roadway. FIGURE 30: CHIPPEWA COUNTY BICYCLISTS KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED, 2012-2016

% Killed

% Seriously Injured

5-Yr Ave Killed

5-Yr Ave Seriously Injured

County 3.6% 1.6% 0.2 0.6

State 1.8% 2.9% 10.2 92.4

Chippewa County had a lower percentage of bicyclists seriously injured when compared to the state, but a higher percentage of bicyclist fatalities.

ISSUE AREA: IMPROVE SAFETY OF INTERSECTIONS

FIGURE 31: CHIPPEWA COUNTY TOTAL CRASHES BY LOCATION, 2012-2016

County State

% Intersection 27.7% 37.8%

% Non-Intersection 72.3% 62.8%

There were fewer crashes at intersections in Chippewa County, compared to the state of Wisconsin.

24

ISSUE AREA: INCREASE OCCUPANT PROTECTION

FIGURE 32: SEATBELT USE STATEWIDE, 2012-2017

Seatbelt usage statewide has increased over the past six years.

FIGURE 32.2: SAFETY EQUIPMENT USAGE IN PASSENGER CAR AND LIGHT TRUCKS DURING CRASHES, 2012-2016

Belted Unbelted

Fatalities and Serious Injuries 59.9% 40.1%

40% of the people killed or seriously injured in crashes in Chippewa County were not wearing a seatbelt.

79.9

82.4

84.785.8

88.489.4

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

25

ISSUE AREA: CURB AGGRESSIVE DRIVING/REDUCE SPEED-RELATED CRASHES

FIGURE 33: DRIVER POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTING CIRCUMSTANCES FOR CRASHES IN CHIPPEWA COUNTY

(TOP) AND STATEWIDE (BOTTOM), 2012-2016

Failure to control was the most significant contributing factor for all crashes within Chippewa County.

20.23%

5.98%

11.96%

18.51%

21.56%

21.76%

OTHER CATAGORIES

DRIVER CONDITION

FAIL YIELD R-O-WAY

SPEED TOO FAST/COND

INATTENTIVE DRIVING

FAILURE TO CONTROL

19.88%

5.00%

9.55%

11.49%

16.23%

16.88%

20.97%

OTHER CATAGORIES

DRIVER CONDITION

FOLLOWING TOO CLOSE

SPEED TOO FAST/COND

FAIL YIELD R-O-WAY

FAILURE TO CONTROL

INATTENTIVE DRIVING

26

FIGURE 34: SPEEDING STATISTICS IN CHIPPEWA COUNTY, 2012-2016

Average Speed-Related Fatal Crashes Average Speed-Related Non-Fatal Injury Crashes

1.2 59.0

Chippewa County % of speed-related fatal crashes to all fatal crashes 23.1%

Wisconsin % of speed-related fatal crashes to all fatal crashes 28.9%

Speed-Related Fatal Crashes Speed-Related Non-Fatal Injury Crashes

Interstate Highways N/A N/A

US/State Highways 50.0% 40.3%

County Highways 33.3% 22.0%

Local Roads 16.7% 37.6%

Chippewa County had a lower percentage of speed-related fatal crashes than the state. The most

common location for speed-related fatal crashes in Chippewa County was on US/state highways.

ISSUE AREA: REDUCE LANE DEPARTURE CRASHES

FIGURE 35: CHIPPEWA COUNTY RUN-OFF-THE-ROAD CRASHES, 2012-2016

5 Year Average of Run-Off-the-Road Crashes % of Run-Off-the-Road crashes to Total Crashes

County 400.6 32.3%

State 30,395.6 25.4%

Chippewa County had a greater percentage of run-off-the-road crashes when compared to the state.

27

THE IMPACT

The number of persons involved in crashes and crash-related emergency room visits are low,

comparatively.

2011-2015 Annual Averages

17,18

17University of Wisconsin-Madison, Center for Health Systems Research & Analysis. Wisconsin Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System Project. “Wisconsin CODES Report Builder Custom Reporting System,” http://www.chsra.wisc.edu/codes/query/overview.html Accessed Oct. 2, 2017. 18University of Wisconsin-Madison, Center for Health Systems Research & Analysis. Wisconsin Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System Project. “Community Crash Reports,” http://www.chsra.wisc.edu/codes/community/default.htm Accessed Oct. 3, 2017.

Chippewa County Wisconsin

Average Annual Population 63,141 5,716,883

Persons in Crashes

(per 1,000 residents)

35.4 46.0

Crash-Related Emergency Room Visits

(per 100,000 residents)

274.4 407.3

Crash-Related Hospitalizations

(per 100,000 residents)

48.5 49.3

Quality of Life Costs

(per 100,000 residents)

$39,883,492 $36,819,900

Lost Years of Life

(per 1,000 residents)

4.07 3.04

Medical Costs

(per 100,000 residents)

$9,322,799 $10,482,526

28

THE GRANTS

The Bureau of Transportation Safety targets counties throughout the state based on crash frequency

and severity, considering their size, location, and contributing behavioral factors as indicated on crash

forms received from local law enforcement agencies. Overtime enforcement grants are offered to the

law enforcement agencies of a county to form a high-visibility enforcement task force that will

coordinate efforts with each other and locals to change the driving behavior in their county. If a county

makes the targeting list for an enforcement grant to address a behavioral highway safety issue, all law

enforcement agencies within the county are eligible to participate on a task force to address the

problem. National priority issue areas include impaired driving, seat belt use, speeding, and distracted

driving.

2016 Grant Participation

Impaired Driving Occupant Protection Speed

Chippewa Co. Sheriff’s Office $14,851.20 $7,425.60 $12,425.60

Bloomer Police Dept. $8,477.44

Boyd Police Dept.

Cadott Police Dept. $3,936

Chippewa Falls Police Dept. $4,955.52 $4,955.52

Cornell Police Dept.

Eau Claire Police Dept.

Lake Hallie Police Dept. $5,003.52 $10,197.97

New Auburn Police Dept.

Stanley Police Dept. $9,923.67

The Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office and the Chippewa Falls Police Department participated on the

Chippewa County OWI Task Force.

2017 Task Forces

Grant Amount

Chippewa County Summer Speed Task Force $25,000

2017 Task Force Participation

Impaired

Driving

Occupant

Protection

Speed

Chippewa Co. Sheriff’s Office Chippewa County Summer Speed Task Force

Bloomer Police Dept.

Boyd Police Dept.

Cadott Police Dept. Chippewa County Summer Speed Task Force

Chippewa Falls Police Dept. Chippewa County Summer Speed Task Force

Cornell Police Dept.

Eau Claire Police Dept.

Lake Hallie Police Dept.

New Auburn Police Dept.

Stanley Police Dept.

29

2018 Task Force Eligibility

Impaired Driving Occupant Protection Speed

Chippewa County Law Enforcement Agencies not eligible not eligible eligible

Agency Mobilizations 2016-2017

FY2016

Drive

Sober or

Get

Pulled

Over-

Winter

Holidays

2016 Click

It or

Ticket

2016

Drive

Sober or

Get

Pulled

Over –

Labor Day

FY2017

Drive

Sober or

Get

Pulled

Over-

Winter

Holidays

2017 Click

It or

Ticket

2017

Drive

Sober or

Get

Pulled

Over –

Labor Day

Chippewa Co. Sheriff’s Office yes yes yes yes yes

Bloomer Police Dept. yes yes

Boyd Police Dept.

Cadott Police Dept. yes yes yes yes

Chippewa Falls Police Dept. yes yes yes

Cornell Police Dept. yes yes yes yes

Eau Claire Police Dept.

Lake Hallie Police Dept. yes yes yes yes

New Auburn Police Dept.

Stanley Police Dept. yes yes yes yes yes

The Wisconsin State Patrol participates in all three mobilizations each year. Law enforcement agencies

should participate for the chance to receive an equipment grant for ongoing high-visibility enforcement.