Latest news with #MarkMcKechnie
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
State Patrol warns drivers this Cinco de Mayo: drive sober and follow the speed limit
The Washington State Patrol (WSP) is reminding drivers to drive responsibly this Cinco de Mayo. Along with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC), officials are asking if you're planning to be on the road to drive sober and follow posted speed limits. 'Our message is simple: Have fun but celebrate responsibly. Driving impaired endangers your own life and the lives of others,' WSP Chief John Batiste said. WSP says between 2019 and 2023, 207 people were killed on Washington roads on Cinco de Mayo. 'We're asking everyone to plan ahead. Designate a sober driver, use a rideshare service, or stay the night if you've been drinking,' WTSC External Relations Director Mark McKechnie said. For safety resources and more information on impaired driving visit:
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Traffic cameras on I-90 near Idaho state line will mail speeding notices instead of tickets
Apr. 9—Speeders leaving Washington for Idaho will get a friendly reminder in the mail to slow down. Temporary traffic cameras over Interstate 90 in Liberty Lake will track eastbound speeding vehicles and their license plates as part of a pilot program beginning Thursday from the Washington State Department of Transportation. Registered owners of speeding vehicles will receive courtesy notices but no tickets or fines, according to a WSDOT news release. The speed limit through the zone is 70 mph. The Legislature launched the Highway Speed Camera Pilot Program with $1 million in funding to reduce speed-related crashes. The program is a partnership between WSDOT, the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and Washington State Patrol. Safety commission spokesman Mark McKechnie said the program is not issuing tickets because the Legislature did not authorize it to do so. Cameras will also be tested on southbound Interstate 5 between Cook and Bow Hill roads in Skagit County. The locations were chosen because speed was a factor in serious collisions there, and they have enough space between ramps to obtain accurate data. Courtesy notices will focus on safety and inform drivers of the potential cost of a ticket for the speed they were traveling. The program does not issue fines, nor does it affect driving records or insurance. The goal is to change driver behavior, prevent collisions and injuries, and save lives, according WSDOT. Drivers and passengers will not be photographed, McKechnie said. Digital images will only be used for courtesy notices and will not be stored or used for other purposes. However, statistical data will track traffic patterns, average speeds, the range of speeds and vehicles that speed repeatedly through the area. After the pilot concludes at the end of June, the cameras will be removed and WSDOT will analyze the data, review public feedback, and report back to the Legislature. WSDOT is taking feedback about the program on its website. Cameras will track speeds using the "average speed method." This involves placing multiple cameras at two locations and tracking the time it takes a vehicle to travel between the two points to determine the average speed, rather than a single snapshot. The cameras face both directions to capture more data. The cameras hover 19 feet over the roadway from trailers placed on the side of the road. The trailers are about three miles apart, with one just past the Liberty Lake Road overpass and the second just before the Stateline exit. In addition to the notices, the cameras themselves act as a reminder for drivers to slow down, McKechnie said. When a few drivers do, it causes the rest of traffic to slow down as well. "Hopefully there is an impact on drivers reminding them it is safer to drive the speed limit," McKechnie said. This program is different from the Work Zone Speed Camera Program. Starting this spring, mobile cameras will move through various construction zones around the state and tickets will be issued after the first infraction. James Hanlon's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Yahoo
Legislation to lower Blood Alcohol Content to .05 returns after two previous failed attempts
2025 has already been a dangerous year on Washington roads. In one arrest, an impaired driver was going the wrong way on I-90 and crashed into a state trooper. In Thurston County this month, one man was arrested twice at this same intersection for a DUI, on consecutive nights. The arrests are fueling calls for lawmakers to increase safety on the road. In Olympia, Senate Bill 5067 looks to reduce the state's blood alcohol limit for a DUI from .08 to .05. The bill is still in committee but has bipartisan support. The bill has already received a green light from Washington's Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC). 'On average it's going to take three or four drinks for a lot of people in a couple hours to exceed that .05 limit. And I think most people if you asked them- would you get in a car with someone you just saw have four drinks of alcohol? They'd probably say no,' says Mark McKechnie, with WTSC. McKechnie calls the proposed legislation a necessary change, with a proven track record. Utah reduced their BAC limit for DUIs to .05 for drivers in 2018. Research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Commission found that in 2019 Utah's fatal crash rates dropped by nearly 20 percent. Washington's bill to lower the legal limit has failed to pass the last two legislative sessions. One of the opposition points to the legislation, is the potential for higher DUI arrests and convictions. Attorney Ryan English tells KIRO 7, 'This bill would add further congestion to court dockets…Its passage would open up the floodgates to needless litigation.' When asked about the potential uptick in arrests, McKechnie says that hasn't been the case in Utah. 'They really haven't seen arrests increase,' says McKechnie. The Senate Committee on Transportation will vote on SB 5067 Tuesday afternoon. If passed, it would head to the Senate floor.
