Shown are statistics displaying the number of reportable motor vehicle crashes in the Warsaw city limits. Graph from Warsaw Police Department Annual Traffic Report

By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — The number of reportable motor vehicle crashes the Warsaw Police Department investigated in 2023 was down compared to 2022, but the number of traffic violation citations, arrests and warnings was higher by over 1,100.

WPD Chief Scott Whitaker told the Warsaw Traffic Commission Wednesday, March 6, that in accordance with the city ordinance, the police department is to produce an annual traffic report. That report had already been submitted to the mayor’s office and he was providing it to the traffic commission at its meeting for the purpose of making it a public record.

“Just an observation. From 2022 to 2023, I know at one point in time we were low on the number of officers that we had. I think we kind of rectified that maybe in 2023 and you can really see the difference in the number of citations and everything,” Councilwoman and Commission member Cindy Dobbins stated, and Whitaker agreed.

According to the report, of the 891 reportable motor vehicle crashes in 2023, 734 were property damage collisions, down from 777 in 2022, and 155 were injury collisions, up from 150 in 2022. In 2023, there were a total of 210 injuries, down from 223 in 2022. While there was one fatality in 2023, there were two in 2022.

Whitaker said the one fatality in 2023 was on North Detroit Street and it was a motorcycle and car collision.

“I will say, in collecting this data, and in speaking with the patrol captain, we were certainly pleased — as stated by Council Member Dobbins — that having those additional officers has made it so that our officers have the ability to get out onto the highway. The number of written contacts has increased by 1,100 last year over 2022,” he said.

The month with the most collisions in 2023 was November with 95, followed by 83 in October, 82 in December, 81 in July and 80 in June. A year before, in 2022, December had the most collisions with 90, followed by 85 in June and in July and 82 in February.

By day of the week, Thursdays had the most in 2023 with 142, down from 146 in 2022, while Friday had the most in 2022 with 187. In 2023, Friday had 139 collisions.

Looking at time of day, lunch (11 a.m. to 1:59 p.m.) and “from work” (4 to 6:59 p.m.) both had 192 collisions in 2023. Those were decreases from 2022 from 196 and 222, respectively. The least amount of crashes in both years happened between 10 and 11:59 p.m.

The top three contributing circumstances to collisions in both years were following too closely (154 in 2022 and 163 in 2023); failure to yield right-of-way (169 and 176) and unsafe backing (133 and 132). Cell phone was only a contributing circumstance in eight collisions in 2022 and five collisions in 2023. Alcohol/drugs was a contributing circumstance in 14 collisions in 2022 and 13 in 2023.

Other circumstances listed included animal in roadway, distracted driving, disregarding a signal/sign, improper turning and roadway surface condition.

Dobbins said she noticed that — particularly on Detroit Street, SR 15 and US 30 — officers are out there patrolling much more now that the police department has a bigger staff.

“I know it obviously was a focus in 2022 and 2023 for Mayor (Joe) Thallemer and my conversations with Mayor (Jeff) Grose,” Whitaker said.

On SR 15, Whitaker said the number of crashes have increased over 2022 and it’s still one of the highest frequency of crashes in the city, Whitaker said. “We try to have a presence out there, as well as U.S. 30,” he said.

The report states that in 2023, there were 142 roadway crashes on Lake City Highway (US 30), up from 122 in 2022. On Detroit Street (SR15) in 2023, there were 171 crashes, up from 157 in 2022. Center Street dropped from 95 in 2022 to 88 in 2023; Winona Avenue, 27 in both years; Market Street, 37 in 2022 to 22 in 2023; Walton Boulevard, 24 in 2022 to 16 in 2023; Buffalo Street, 15 in 2022 to 16 in 2023; and Parker Street, 18 in 2022 to 26 in 2023.

In 2023, the manner of collisions were rear-end, 225, down from 241 in 2022; right angle, 186, down from 204 in 2022; backing, 120, up from 104 in 2022; and same-direction sideswipe, 91 in 2023, down from 108 in 2022.

Shown are statistics for the roads in the Warsaw city limits with the highest number of traffic collisions. Graph from Warsaw Police Department Annual Traffic Report.

The report also provides a look at the citations, arrests and warnings issued in 2023 by WPD, of which there were 5,589.
Under traffic citations, there were 1,186 infraction uniform traffic tickets (UTTs) in 2023, up from 973 in 2022; 484 misdemeanor and felony UTT in 2023, up from 394 in 2022; and 3,909 warnings in 2023, up from 3,090 in 2022.

Under infraction UTTs, there were 94 in 2023 for seat belt/child restraint, up from 90 in 2022; 450 for speeding in 2023, up from 281 in 2022; and 153 in 2023 for driving while suspended, up from 84 in 2022.

Under misdemeanor UTT, there were 106 in 2023 for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, up from 83 in 2022; 167 driving while suspended in 2023, up from 110 in 2022; and 37 operator never licensed in 2023, up from 26 in 2022.

Felony traffic violations included 30 in 2023 for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated with a prior, up from 25 in 2022; and 23 habitual traffic violators in 2023, up from eight in 2022.

In 2023, speed was cited for the most warnings at 1,063, up from 598 in 2022. That was followed by 361 for no or improper lights in 2023, up from 268 in 2022; and 275 disregarding a signal or sign in 2023, up from 176 in 2022.

Finally, in 2023, there were 810 parking violations and/or warnings, down from 922 in 2022.

Commission member Jason Brown asked Whitaker, “Do you have a thought as to why the number jumped so high on driving while suspended under both infraction and misdemeanor?”

Whitaker responded, “None other than those 1,100 written warnings. Those contacts lead to those additional – sometimes those are duplicated. Those driving while suspendeds would be associated with one of those possible written warnings or those written tickets. So the increased traffic stops would lead to the increased contacts, which would lead to the increased driving while suspended.”

Brown then asked Whitaker if he thought “we have the same amount of people driving while suspended, or do you think we are just seeing more of what is driving while suspended?”

Whitaker replied, “I’d say the same amount of people are driving while suspended. We just have the ability with the stops to make more of an impact. Hopefully, what we did in 2023 will be reflected in 2024. Hopefully, those contacts are still there and maybe the driving while suspendeds are down.”

The next meeting of the Warsaw Traffic Commission will be May 1 at 1 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers. There will be no April meeting due to spring break.