Washington Traffic Safety Commission announcement.
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission’s (WTSC) initial data for 2022 shows the greatest number of deaths on Washington roads and highways since 1990. Preliminary reports show that 745 people were killed in crashes last year.
Impairment by drugs and alcohol is involved in more than half of fatal crashes. According to a December 2022 report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), “Alcohol-involved crashes resulted in 14,219 fatalities, 497,000 nonfatal injuries, and $68.9 billion in economic costs in 2019….”
“During 2017 through 2021, 32 percent of fatal crashes in Washington involved alcohol positive drivers,” said WTSC Director Shelly Baldwin. “Alcohol impairment, whether alone or in combination with other drugs, continues to be a leading risk factor in traffic fatalities.”
Health and safety experts have long advocated for states to reduce the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) per se limit for DUI from 0.08 to 0.05 percent. The state of Utah and more than 100 countries have set BAC limits at 0.05 percent or less. The Washington Legislature is currently considering Senate Bill 5002, which would change the state’s limit to 0.05.
“The goal of this bill is not to increase the number of DUI arrests but to remind and encourage people to avoid driving after drinking and thereby save lives. This was the outcome in Utah, and we expect a similar impact in Washington State,” said Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste.
At a BAC of 0.05 percent, a driver has reduced coordination and ability to track moving objects, difficulty steering, and delayed response to emergency driving situations. “The evidence is clear that a driver’s ability to drive safely and react to unexpected traffic conditions is affected when their BAC reaches 0.05 percent,” Baldwin said.
The WTSC reminds all people in Washington that there are simple things we can do to prevent impaired driving like planning ahead for a sober ride home if you will be out drinking. Friends and loved ones can help to prevent DUIs by being a sober designated driver, calling a rideshare, or offering a place to sleep.
WTSC analysis shows impaired drivers are more likely to speed and less likely to wear seat belts. These factors increase crash risk and are more likely to result in death.
I spent 25 years working traffic enforcement, injury and fatality investigation along with DUI cases related to alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs.
Through my traffic enforcement efforts I actually saw improvement in driver behavior.
Two roads in particular, I will never forget. I worked a constant traffic emphasis on South Prairie Road and Nyanza Road in Pierce County.
Because I was constantly on those two roads making traffic stops routine drivers learned that they needed to comply with the traffic laws or they would have a face to face meeting with Mr. Ticket. Yes, I wrote a lot of tickets because I made a lot of traffic stops involving violators. The flip side is I also gave out a lot of verbal warnings when appropriate. The benefit of driver modification is gained when a driver fequently sees marked patrol cars doing traffic stops regardless of if the stop involves a traffic ticket or a verbal warning.
One of the biggest problems we face today, which is killing innocent drivers and passengers, is we do not see police officers making traffic stops.
There are several reasons for this.
#1. Defund the police movement.
#2. Accusations of racist policing when really for most honest police officers they are performing not racist policing, but rather bad behavior policing.
Cops begin to think, after being beat. up by the public racist policing sentiment, “I am not stopping that guy doing 50 mph in a 20 mph school zone. He is black.” By not making the stop, the officer avoids all kinds of false accusations. We might think of this as reverse racist policing.
White cops only stop white violators. Black cops only stop black violators. That is a goofy system that the anti-cop segment of our population promotes and is a reason for unnecessary traffic deaths.
We need more cops on our surface streets and freeways of all races doing more traffic stops focused on the behavior, not the race.
Let police do their job including crime investigation connected with traffic stops. Society is trying to take away police tools.
One famous traffic stop led to the arrest of the Oklahoma City bombing, Timothy McVeigh. I personally know of lots of guns, dope, and felons taken off the street related to traffic stops.
If the soft on crime folks get their way, all these productive law enforcement tools will be lost. Guys like Timonthy McVeigh will be left on the street to maim and kill more innocent victims.
Defunding and making police ineffective will bring to the citizens unwanted unintended consequences.
It is already happening. Have you noticed, there are very few police on our roads and freeways which has helped to create “free-for-all behavior leading to a high fatality rate in both my old state, Washington and my new state, Delaware?
Have you noticed the huge increase in bad and illegal driving, which puts us all at risk of a premature death? The reason for the crazy and DUI driving is many of our public members now think and know there is are very few consequences for their bad / illegal behavior. The reason they think that is because their opinion is spot on.
Support the police. Allow them to do their job without prejudice and we all will have a better chance of living longer.
Joseph Boyle – 25 Years Law Enforcement – Retired
This is what happens when we neuter our Police force. Our political leaders have not only cut funding but established regulations that prevent them from enforcing the law. People don’t think twice about the consequences of their reckless/impaired driving. Coupled with record alcohol consumption resulting from pandemic isolation, it’s a recipe for disaster.
How about breaking out the number of fatalities where marijuana was in the driver’s system? Has there been a trend since pot was legalized? That aroma seems to follow you around all over Pierce County when you’re driving or even when walking through a park parking lot. It’s encountered everywhere. Hard to believe that many people behind the wheel are stoned…or maybe not.
Drivers around here are certainly more aggressive these days, choosing to fill gaps and switch lanes aggressively, causing others to react.
Or maybe I’m just getting older.
Naaaah!