WI Road Deaths Increase As Alcohol-Related Crashes Decrease

It s an interesting contrast.  According to the news sources and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, 2020 has seen a increase in road/traffic-related deaths - easily surpassing the totals of the last two years.  At the same time, Wisconsin is in the midst of a 15-year cycle in which yearly convictions for Operating While Intoxicated and overall alcohol-related crashes is down.
The good news first: News sources report that the Legislative Reference Bureau lists yearly convictions for both OWI s and certain related offenses are down by 17,720 in the period covering 2004 to 2018; Alcohol-related fatal crashes have also declined in Wisconsin in the past 12 years, a trend consistent across the country .