Latest news with #WashingtonTrafficSafetyCommission
Business Wire
3 days ago
- Business Wire
Extra Patrols Deployed as Part of 100 Safe Days of Summer Campaign
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To keep roads safe this summer, the King County Target Zero Coalition is deploying High Visibility Enforcement patrols from June 6 through Labor Day Weekend. This campaign is part of Washington's '100 Safe Days of Summer' program, which is working to keep roadways safe during what is typically the most dangerous time of the year. These patrols are focusing on recent data that suggests deaths related to speeding are on the rise. According to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC), Washington's roads had 253 fatal crashes between June and September, making summer the deadliest four-month period of the year. Across the state, 31% of fatal crashes involved a driver speeding, and fatal crashes involving speeding drivers have increased 52% since 2019. 'This is an opportunity to remind everyone there are simple things they can do to keep our roads safe – and driving the speed limit is at the top of that list,' said Sara Hallstead, Target Zero Manager, South King County. 'We urge everyone to avoid following the flow of traffic and instead focus on driving the posted speed limit, which exists to decrease the risk and severity of crashes.' In preparation for the dangerous driving period, the King County Target Zero Coalition is also encouraging motorists to avoid impaired driving. Traffic safety officials have seen progress on the state's roads (recent data shows that 78% of people in Washington don't drive after drinking) but substance use still remains one of the leading causes of deadly crashes in King County. Local authorities are urging everyone to take proactive steps to prevent impaired driving before it happens. 'Every one of us has a role to play. Planning ahead can save lives and protect our communities,' said Hallstead. 'If you're going out, make a plan for a safe ride home. You can designate a sober driver ahead of time, use ride share services, take public transportation, or stay the night at your destination.' Roadway safety is a top priority for the King County Target Zero Coalition, and officials encourage motorists to call 911 and report someone who is driving erratically. This includes speeding, braking suddenly or inappropriately, swerving in and out of their lane, or making wide turns. Extra patrols are partially funded by WTSC with the coordination of the King County Target Zero Coalition, which brings together representatives from law enforcement, public health, transportation, health and human services, and community organizations to engage in traffic safety campaigns throughout King County. Target Zero Managers across the state are conducting similar campaigns. For more information, please visit The King County Target Zero Coalition was formed by Public Health – Seattle & King County in 1998 through limited funding from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) and flexible state public health funding. It is currently supported through state-funded grants. Target Zero is a statewide program administered through the WTSC with the goal of reducing the number of serious injuries and fatalities, among those walking, rolling, driving, and traveling on Washington roadways, to zero by 2030. For additional information, you can follow our social media pages on Facebook or Instagram.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Report: WA sees decrease in deadly crashes for 2024 from 33-year high in 2023
Deadly traffic crashes have decreased in Washington in the last year, but are still high overall, a new report from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) said. In 2024, there were 731 people killed in traffic crashes on Washington roads, a 9.6% decrease from 2023 numbers. However, at the same time, the preliminary total for 2024 is 36% higher than the number of people killed on Washington roads in 2019. 'Traffic enforcement efforts have increased statewide, resulting in larger numbers of traffic stops for speeding, distraction, and suspected driver impairment. Enforcement fell dramatically during and immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic. Some cities have also increased their use of automated enforcement for speeding, particularly in school zones and in other areas where pedestrians travel,' WTSC said in its report. Since 2015, the state saw its lowest number of people killed in crashes in 2019, with 538 reported. 'This is obviously a welcome change to see our annual fatality numbers decline after experiencing large increases over the previous four years. Law enforcement and other traffic safety partners have worked hard to reverse the deadly trend we experienced in 2020-2023. And we still have a lot of work to do to further reduce these historically high fatality numbers,' said Shelly Baldwin, director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. Driver impairment by alcohol and/or other drugs remains the most common risk factor involved in fatal crashes. The initial total involving impaired driving was 348 traffic deaths, which represents 48 percent of all fatalities. This number often rises as additional evidence is processed and recorded in these cases. Final numbers will be released in late 2025 or early 2026. Speed remains another major factor in fatal crashes, as excessive speed increases both the likelihood and severity of a crash. In 2024, 247 people were killed in crashes involving excessive speed, which represented 34 percent of all fatalities. There is a substantial overlap in crashes involving both speed and impaired driving. Among fatalities involving excessive speed, 62 percent also involved an impaired driver.
Fast Company
05-05-2025
- Fast Company
Speed-limiting devices could be coming for reckless U.S. drivers in these states
A teenager who admitted being 'addicted to speed' behind the wheel had totaled two other cars in the year before he slammed into a minivan at 112 mph (180 kph) in a Seattle suburb, killing the driver and three of the five children she was transporting for a homeschool co-op. After sentencing Chase Daniel Jones last month to more than 17 years in prison, the judge tacked on a novel condition should he drive again: His vehicle must be equipped with a device that prevents accelerating far beyond the speed limit. Virginia this year became the first state to give its judges such a tool to deal with the most dangerous drivers on the road. Washington, D.C., already is using it and similar measures await governors' signatures in Washington state and Georgia. New York and California also could soon tap the GPS-based technology to help combat a recent national spike in traffic deaths. 'It's a horror no one should have to experience,' said Amy Cohen, who founded the victims' advocacy group Families for Safe Streets after her 12-year-old son, Sammy Cohen Eckstein, was killed by a speeding driver in front of their New York home more than a decade ago. Turning tragedy into activism Andrea Hudson, 38, the minivan driver who was killed when Jones ran a red light, was building a backyard greenhouse with her husband to help educate several kids who shuttle between homes during the school day, her father, Ted Smith, said. Also killed in the March 2024 crash near Hudson's home in Renton, Washington, were Boyd 'Buster' Brown and Eloise Wilcoxson, both 12, and Matilda Wilcoxson, 13. Hudson's two children were sitting on the passenger side and survived, but they spent weeks in a hospital. 'You always hear of these horrific accidents, and it's always far away, you don't know anybody. But all of a sudden, that's my daughter,' Smith said. 'This guy did not swerve or brake. And it was just a missile.' Smith knew Washington state Rep. Mari Leavitt, who reached out to offer condolences and tell him she was sponsoring legislation to mandate intelligent speed assistance devices as a condition for habitual speeders to get back their suspended licenses. Leavitt predicts it will have an even more powerful impact than revoking driving privileges, citing studies showing around three-quarters of people who lose their licenses get behind a wheel anyway. Between 2019 and 2024, the state saw a 200% increase in drivers cited for going at least 50 mph (80 kph) over the speed limit, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. 'I guess I don't understand why someone is compelled to want to drive that fast,' Leavitt said. 'But if they choose to drive that fast with the speed limiter, they can't. It's going to stop them in their tracks.' The measure, which Washington legislators passed last month and Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson is expected to soon sign, is called the BEAM Act, using the first letters of the names of the four victims: Buster, Eloise, Andrea and Matilda. Because Jones, 19, didn't receive a speeding ticket in his two previous crashes, he likely wouldn't have been required to use the speed-limiter ahead of the fatal one. And because it could be 2029 before the law takes effect, the judge's requirement at sentencing only applies to his time on probation after being released from prison, Smith said. Evolution of a safety tool Competing tech companies that joined forces to lobby for ignition interlock requirements for drunken drivers have been working in unison again the last few years to pitch intelligent speed assistance. Brandy Nannini, chief government affairs officer at one manufacturer, Grapevine, Texas-based Smart Start, said fleet vehicles including school buses in the nation's capital have been trying it out for years. But it took a lot of refinement before the GPS technology could instantly recognize speed limit changes and compel vehicles with the devices installed to adjust accordingly. 'We've got a lot more satellites in the sky now,' said Ken Denton, a retired police officer who is the chief compliance officer at Cincinnati-based LifeSafer, part of the coalition of companies. When court-mandated, the devices would prevent cars from exceeding speed limits or whatever threshold regulators set. An override button allows speeding in emergencies, but states can decide whether to activate it and authorities would be alerted any time the button is pushed. A more passive version, which beeps to alert drivers when they are going too fast, is required for new cars in the European Union. California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar proposal last year, explaining vehicle safety requirements are set by the federal government and he was concerned a patchwork of state laws could stir confusion. Parents take up the cause Before Del. Patrick Hope agreed to sponsor the proposal in the Virginia Legislature, he tried out the device in Nannini's car, which was calibrated to not go more than 9 mph (14 kph) over the speed limit. 'That was my first question: Is it safe?' Hope said. Not only did he come away convinced it was safe, Hope is now pondering whether to install it on the cars of his three children, all of whom are new drivers. For those mandated by a court, the price could be hefty: $4 per day and a $100 installation fee. The fee would be reduced for low-income offenders. Cohen with Families for Safe Streets, which provides support services to the loved ones of crash victims, knows firsthand the kind of impact slowing down speeders can make. A year after her son was struck and killed in front of their New York apartment, another boy was injured in the same spot. By then, the road's speed limit had been lowered. 'That boy lived when he was hit, and mine did not,' she said. 'When you are going a few miles slower, there's more time to stop. And when you hit somebody, it's much less likely to be deadly.'
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Business Standard
05-05-2025
- Business Standard
US states push for speed-limiting devices on cars of high-risk drivers
A teenager who admitted being addicted to speed behind the wheel had totalled two other cars in the year before he slammed into a minivan at 180 kph in a Seattle suburb, killing the driver and three of the five children she was transporting for a homeschool co-op. After sentencing Chase Daniel Jones last month to more than 17 years in prison, the judge tacked on a novel condition should he drive again: His vehicle must be equipped with a device that prevents accelerating far beyond the speed limit. Virginia this year became the first state to give its judges such a tool to deal with the most dangerous drivers on the road. Washington, DC, already is using it and similar measures await governors' signatures in Washington state and Georgia. New York and California also could soon tap the GPS-based technology to help combat a recent national spike in traffic deaths. It's a horror no one should have to experience, said Amy Cohen, who founded the victims' advocacy group Families for Safe Streets after her 12-year-old son, Sammy Cohen Eckstein, was killed by a speeding driver in front of their New York home more than a decade ago. Turning tragedy into activism Andrea Hudson, 38, the minivan driver who was killed when Jones ran a red light, was building a backyard greenhouse with her husband to help educate several kids who shuttle between homes during the school day, her father, Ted Smith, said. Also killed in the March 2024 crash near Hudson's home in Renton, Washington, were Boyd Buster Brown and Eloise Wilcoxson, both 12, and Matilda Wilcoxson, 13. Hudson's two children were sitting on the passenger side and survived, but they spent weeks in a hospital. You always hear of these horrific accidents, and it's always far away, you don't know anybody. But all of a sudden, that's my daughter," Smith said. This guy did not swerve or brake. And it was just a missile. Smith knew Washington state Rep. Mari Leavitt, who reached out to offer condolences and tell him she was sponsoring legislation to mandate intelligent speed assistance devices as a condition for habitual speeders to get back their suspended licenses. Leavitt predicts it will have an even more powerful impact than revoking driving privileges, citing studies showing around three-quarters of people who lose their licenses get behind a wheel anyway. Between 2019 and 2024, the state saw a 200% increase in drivers cited for going at least 50 mph (80 kph) over the speed limit, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. I guess I don't understand why someone is compelled to want to drive that fast, Leavitt said. But if they choose to drive that fast with the speed limiter, they can't. It's going to stop them in their tracks. The measure, which Washington legislators passed last month and Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson is expected to soon sign, is called the BEAM Act, using the first letters of the names of the four victims: Buster, Eloise, Andrea and Matilda. Because Jones, 19, didn't receive a speeding ticket in his two previous crashes, he likely wouldn't have been required to use the speed-limiter ahead of the fatal one. And because it could be 2029 before the law takes effect, the judge's requirement at sentencing only applies to his time on probation after being released from prison, Smith said. Evolution of a safety tool Competing tech companies that joined forces to lobby for ignition interlock requirements for drunken drivers have been working in unison again the last few years to pitch intelligent speed assistance. Brandy Nannini, chief government affairs officer at one manufacturer, Grapevine, Texas-based Smart Start, said fleet vehicles including school buses in the nation's capital have been trying it out for years. But it took a lot of refinement before the GPS technology could instantly recognize speed limit changes and compel vehicles with the devices installed to adjust accordingly. We've got a lot more satellites in the sky now, said Ken Denton, a retired police officer who is the chief compliance officer at Cincinnati-based LifeSafer, part of the coalition of companies. When court-mandated, the devices would prevent cars from exceeding speed limits or whatever threshold regulators set. An override button allows speeding in emergencies, but states can decide whether to activate it and authorities would be alerted any time the button is pushed. A more passive version, which beeps to alert drivers when they are going too fast, is required for new cars in the European Union. California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar proposal last year, explaining vehicle safety requirements are set by the federal government and he was concerned a patchwork of state laws could stir confusion. Parents take up the cause Before Del Patrick Hope agreed to sponsor the proposal in the Virginia Legislature, he tried out the device in Nannini's car, which was calibrated to not go more than 9 mph (14 kph) over the speed limit. That was my first question: Is it safe? Hope said. Not only did he come away convinced it was safe, Hope is now pondering whether to install it on the cars of his three children, all of whom are new drivers. For those mandated by a court, the price could be hefty: $4 per day and a $100 installation fee. The fee would be reduced for low-income offenders. Cohen with Families for Safe Streets, which provides support services to the loved ones of crash victims, knows firsthand the kind of impact slowing down speeders can make. A year after her son was struck and killed in front of their New York apartment, another boy was injured in the same spot. By then, the road's speed limit had been lowered. That boy lived when he was hit, and mine did not, she said. "When you are going a few miles slower, there's more time to stop. And when you hit somebody, it's much less likely to be deadly.
05-05-2025
US states push for speed-limiting devices on the cars of dangerous drivers
A teenager who admitted being 'addicted to speed' behind the wheel had totaled two other cars in the year before he slammed into a minivan at 112 mph (180 kph) in a Seattle suburb, killing the driver and three of the five children she was transporting for a homeschool co-op. After sentencing Chase Daniel Jones last month to more than 17 years in prison, the judge tacked on a novel condition should he drive again: His vehicle must be equipped with a device that prevents accelerating far beyond the speed limit. Virginia this year became the first state to give its judges such a tool to deal with the most dangerous drivers on the road. Washington, D.C., already is using it and similar measures await governors' signatures in Washington state and Georgia. New York and California also could soon tap the GPS-based technology to help combat a recent national spike in traffic deaths. 'It's a horror no one should have to experience,' said Amy Cohen, who founded the victims' advocacy group Families for Safe Streets after her 12-year-old son, Sammy Cohen Eckstein, was killed by a speeding driver in front of their New York home more than a decade ago. Andrea Hudson, 38, the minivan driver who was killed when Jones ran a red light, was building a backyard greenhouse with her husband to help educate several kids who shuttle between homes during the school day, her father, Ted Smith, said. Also killed in the March 2024 crash near Hudson's home in Renton, Washington, were Boyd 'Buster' Brown and Eloise Wilcoxson, both 12, and Matilda Wilcoxson, 13. Hudson's two children were sitting on the passenger side and survived, but they spent weeks in a hospital. 'You always hear of these horrific accidents, and it's always far away, you don't know anybody. But all of a sudden, that's my daughter," Smith said. 'This guy did not swerve or brake. And it was just a missile.' Smith knew Washington state Rep. Mari Leavitt, who reached out to offer condolences and tell him she was sponsoring legislation to mandate intelligent speed assistance devices as a condition for habitual speeders to get back their suspended licenses. Leavitt predicts it will have an even more powerful impact than revoking driving privileges, citing studies showing around three-quarters of people who lose their licenses get behind a wheel anyway. Between 2019 and 2024, the state saw a 200% increase in drivers cited for going at least 50 mph (80 kph) over the speed limit, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. 'I guess I don't understand why someone is compelled to want to drive that fast,' Leavitt said. 'But if they choose to drive that fast with the speed limiter, they can't. It's going to stop them in their tracks.' The measure, which Washington legislators passed last month and Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson is expected to soon sign, is called the BEAM Act, using the first letters of the names of the four victims: Buster, Eloise, Andrea and Matilda. Because Jones, 19, didn't receive a speeding ticket in his two previous crashes, he likely wouldn't have been required to use the speed-limiter ahead of the fatal one. And because it could be 2029 before the law takes effect, the judge's requirement at sentencing only applies to his time on probation after being released from prison, Smith said. Competing tech companies that joined forces to lobby for ignition interlock requirements for drunken drivers have been working in unison again the last few years to pitch intelligent speed assistance. Brandy Nannini, chief government affairs officer at one manufacturer, Grapevine, Texas-based Smart Start, said fleet vehicles including school buses in the nation's capital have been trying it out for years. But it took a lot of refinement before the GPS technology could instantly recognize speed limit changes and compel vehicles with the devices installed to adjust accordingly. 'We've got a lot more satellites in the sky now,' said Ken Denton, a retired police officer who is the chief compliance officer at Cincinnati-based LifeSafer, part of the coalition of companies. When court-mandated, the devices would prevent cars from exceeding speed limits or whatever threshold regulators set. An override button allows speeding in emergencies, but states can decide whether to activate it and authorities would be alerted any time the button is pushed. A more passive version, which beeps to alert drivers when they are going too fast, is required for new cars in the European Union. California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar proposal last year, explaining vehicle safety requirements are set by the federal government and he was concerned a patchwork of state laws could stir confusion. Before Del. Patrick Hope agreed to sponsor the proposal in the Virginia Legislature, he tried out the device in Nannini's car, which was calibrated to not go more than 9 mph (14 kph) over the speed limit. 'That was my first question: Is it safe?' Hope said. Not only did he come away convinced it was safe, Hope is now pondering whether to install it on the cars of his three children, all of whom are new drivers. For those mandated by a court, the price could be hefty: $4 per day and a $100 installation fee. The fee would be reduced for low-income offenders. Cohen with Families for Safe Streets, which provides support services to the loved ones of crash victims, knows firsthand the kind of impact slowing down speeders can make. A year after her son was struck and killed in front of their New York apartment, another boy was injured in the same spot. By then, the road's speed limit had been lowered. 'That boy lived when he was hit, and mine did not,' she said. "When you are going a few miles slower, there's more time to stop. And when you hit somebody, it's much less likely to be deadly.'
