LIVING HERE
One of Wisconsin’s newest laws went into effect in December yet isn’t really being enforced.
Governor Tony Evers signed a new bill into law in early December which penalizes cell phone use near crash scenes in which violators can be charged with a misdemeanor and up to $10,000 in fines, nine months in jail, and other penalties. It’s human nature to be curious, so when most people come upon an accident, they slow down to get a better look, and many pull out their cell phones to document what they saw.
This is not safe for the victims, emergency personnel, or anyone involved in the accident. Crash gawkers cause more trouble and accidents, and they can be easily avoided. It’s a matter of life and death. Now, it’s against the law to be a gawking video cam recorder. Drivers who use cell phones within 500 feet of a crash site could be subject to a misdemeanor crime with fines, jail time, being required to attend a driver’s safety class, and between 100 and 200 hours of community service. This law also includes penalizing drivers who hurt others while committing a traffic violation in construction zones, utility stops, or emergency response areas but does not include traffic stops.
Drivers need to pay attention to the road in front of them and not be intrusive at the scene in front of them. The trend of drivers holding up traffic to take pictures or videos has been significantly increasing, and the new bill will hopefully change that behavior and save lives. Even though the bill was signed on December 6th there still hasn’t been given much attention must be paid to this change in behavior and enforcement of the new law. Property and stuff can be replaced, but lives cannot.
Police departments throughout the state are educating the public on the new law, with hopes that drivers put their cell phones down and focus on getting to their destination safely. Going forward, the law will be enforced to slow down for crash scenes, keep traffic moving and put down cell phones to help save a life.
It’s the bubbles, stupid.
The Lake Geneva pier system, set up and built around the entire Riviera Pier Complex, is made of wood. The wooden poles, driven down into the mud under the piers are protected in winter by bubblers. Those bubblers keep the water around the pier pilings from freezing. Without those bubblers, the ice can form thickly and then due to temperature changes and wind effects, move around a bit. The mass of the ice is so great that wooden pilings have no defense and are either crushed or moved. You can imagine the disaster that would be. This article is written because, as of the publishing of this issue, the bubblers are not turned on or functioning.
Lake Photo of the Week
Ice fishing season is here and the inlet of Delavan Lake is always a popular spot for just that. It’s too early so, hopefully, God is smiling down.
