Whitman County, WA – The results of the recent Holiday DUI enforcement campaign conducted from November 24, 2011 through January 2, 2012 were released today.

In Whitman County, 19 motorists were stopped and arrested for driving under the influence (DUI), and statewide, law enforcement officers arrested 3812 drivers for DUI.

In Whitman County, the Pullman and Washington State University Police Departments, the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol, participated in the extra emphasis patrols, with the support of the Spokane County Target Zero Task Force. The extra patrols were funded by a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

Last year during the same time period, officers in Whitman County on routine and extra patrols arrested 8 people for DUI.

During 2010, drinking drivers killed 188 people, representing more than 40 percent of the 458 people who died on Washington’s roadways.

Law Enforcement Will Do Their Part with Extra DUI Patrols from November 24, 2011 through January 2, 2012

Law enforcement will conduct extra DUI patrols in Mason County from November 24, 2011 through January 2, 2012. Public education combined with strict enforcement is a proven method for reducing DUI crashes and fatalities. However, law enforcement officers can’t do it alone. We all need to do our part, just as Carol and Frank Blair are.

The Blairs have made it their mission to reduce the carnage caused by drunk drivers. On February 26, 2010, their daughter Sheena was killed when an SUV moved into her lane and hit her head-on. The driver of the SUV had a blood alcohol level of almost three times the legal limit.

While their grief is enormous, Carol and Frank are actively working to prevent drunk driving by leading many efforts to honor the spirit of Sheena and all other victims of drunk driving crashes. They urge every one to do their part this holiday season to prevent drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel.

“Don’t let our story become your story” said Frank Blair. “Call a cab. Call a friend. Plan ahead. No matter who you are, someone loves you.”

In 2010, Sheena Blair was one of 188 people in Washington who died as a result of a crash involving a drinking driver. Between 2006 and 2010, the five year total was 1,191.

This is why officers from the Shelton and Squaxin Island Police Departments, the Mason County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol will commit extra patrol hours to make the roadways safer for everyone. These efforts are part of Washington’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan to reduce traffic fatalities to zero by the year 2030.

Last year during the same time period, officers in Mason County on routine and extra patrols arrested 27 people for DUI.

The Mason County Target Zero Traffic Safety Task Force organizes and supports this enforcement effort. They urge you to join the team to prevent drunk driving.

During National Teen Driver Safety Week, October 16 – 22, 2011,  the Washington Traffic Safety Commission will kickoff a partnership with State Farm and Clear Channel Radio to develop a project aimed at reducing distracted driving collisions among teens.

Radio announcers on two Clear Channel stations that have high ratings in the teen market — KUBE FM and KISS FM — will solicit personal stories from teens about their experiences with distracted driving. The stories will be developed into radio public service announcements and videos which will be placed on YouTube and other social media sites. 

The research shows – and most parents agree – that teens listen to their fellow teens much more intently than they listen to older people, so the aim of the project is to increase the motivating power of the message. 

 “Our goal is to develop a peer-to-peer education project where teens are educating their fellow teens about the dangers of distracted driving,” said Andrew McVicar, State Farm Public Affairs Specialist.

The Traffic Safety Commission received a $50,000 grant from State Farm for the project. Other project partners include the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, the UW Medical Center, and Public Health Seattle King County.

Collision injury and death data shows that distracted driving is an increasing problem among teens, given the popularity of cell phones and other electronic devices.   Almost 5,500 people die each year in the USA as a result of distracted driving. Teen drivers have the highest proportion of distraction-related crashes.

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teens, killing more of them than cancer, drug use, homicide and suicide combined. Between 2004 and 2008, young drivers (age 16-25) made up 15% of all licensed drivers in the State of Washington but were involved in 38% of the fatal and serious injury collisions. Their lack of driving experience can contribute to critical misjudgments if they become distracted.

Another aspect of the project involves promoting the anti-distracted driving message with high school-based service learning projects.

National Teen Driver Safety Week, promoted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Commission, is October 16 – 22. 

“We are grateful for the ongoing partnership with State Farm and their support of traffic safety initiatives,” said Lowell Porter, Traffic Safety Commission director. “During times of diminishing resources, financial support from State Farm makes a significant difference as we work to reduce the numbers of those killed and injured on Washington roads.”

Pacific County, WA – The results are in from the recent Drive Hammered, Get Nailed enforcement campaign conducted from August 19 through September 5.

In Pacific County, officers on routine and extra patrols arrested nine motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI), and statewide, law enforcement officers arrested 1,824 drivers for DUI.

In Pacific County, the Raymond and South Bend Police Departments, the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol participated in the extra DUI patrols, with the support of the Pacific County Target Zero Task Force. The extra patrols were funded by a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

More than 40 percent of the DUI traffic deaths occur in Washington during the summer months. That is why these extra patrols are so important and are helping to make a difference. According to preliminary 2010 data, the number of DUI traffic deaths decreased by 16.5 percent compared to the previous five year average.

(Olympia) — Do you want to know when and where officers will be looking for people Driving Under the Influence (DUI)? If you’re planning on driving in Pierce, King or Snohomish Counties, you can go to the web for that.

waTikiLeaks.com has a Washington state map with those three counties activated. Click on a county and you get dates, times and locations for upcoming DUI patrols.

The site has a mobile version, so you can easily view the information on your smart phone. waTikiLeaks.com has sharing options so you can effortlessly share information on Twitter or Facebook.

Pierce, King and Snohomish Counties are participating in a special two-year Target Zero Teams project, with a goal of reducing deaths caused by DUI. To reach the goal, the Teams are doing what they can to deter and take enforcement against DUI.

Information on waTikiLeaks.com is posted by local Traffic Safety Task Forces who are participating in Target Zero Teams. Why are they leaking information that could help drivers avoid tickets and arrests? The task forces promote safe driving on a community level, and one method is to encourage sober driving.

The site is sponsored by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

Online Speed Survey Results also Released

Lewis County, WA – Between July 15 and  August 7 extra law enforcement patrols were out in search of speeding drivers.

During the patrols in Lewis County, 171 speeding tickets were written in addition to one felony and one misdemeanor warrant arrest, 18 aggressive driving citations, four seat belt tickets, as well as 13 uninsured motorist and nine suspended/revoked license violations.

Participating in these extra patrols were the Centralia, Chehalis, Morton and Winlock Police Departments, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol.

According to an online survey conducted during these patrols, of the eight multiple choice questions asked, the majority of respondents answered six of the questions correctly. The final question was open ended. See the results below.

The Lewis County DUI Traffic Safety Task Force supported the extra patrols, funded by a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

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CONSIDER THIS YOUR WARNING
SPEEDING QUIZ
1. TRUE OR FALSE: About 20% of all traffic fatalities involve speeding drivers.
Correct Answer: FALSE. (More than 40% involve a speeder. Source: Target Zero: Washington State’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan 2010)
Respondents:
True – 56.2%
False – 43.8%

2. TRUE OR FALSE: Most of Washington’s traffic deaths occur on freeways.
Correct Answer: FALSE. (Most of Washington’s fatal and serious-injury crashes occur on rural roads, which are often unlighted and undivided. Source: Target Zero: Washington State’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan 2010)
Respondents:
True – 29.3%
False – 70.7%

3. TRUE OR FALSE: Children and the elderly are most likely to die in crashes due to speeding.
Correct Answer: FALSE. (More than 40% of people who died in crashes caused by speeders were young persons ages 16-25. Source: Washington FARS)
Respondents:
True – 59.6%
False – 40.4%

4. Most miles are driven Monday through Friday. When do most serious injury and fatal speeding crashes occur?
Correct Answer: WEEKENDS. (Nearly half of all serious injury and fatal speeding crashes occurred between 6pm Friday and 6am Monday. But speeding enforcement happens every day. Source: Washington FARS and WTSC)
Respondents:
Weekdays – 26.1%
Weekends – 73.9%

5. TRUE OR FALSE:  A speeding ticket can cost as much as $411.
Correct Answer: TRUE. (The average speeding ticket in Washington is about $156 but as your speed increases, so does the fine. In fact, a speeding ticket in Washington could easily cost more than $411. Source: WTSC based on the AOC Bail Schedule)
Respondents:
True – 94.5%
False – 5.5%

6. If the posted speed limit is 60 mph, and you are speeding at 75 mph, how much time will you save on a 20 mile trip?
Correct Answer: 4 minutes. (If you are stopped by law enforcement for speeding at 75 mph in a 60 mph zone, the ticket will cost $156. Those minutes you thought you were saving will now cost you $39 each. And an average traffic stop takes 10-15 minutes, so now you’ve actually lost time. Source: WTSC and Washington Courts)
Respondents:
15 minutes – 6.9%
8 minutes – 9.3%
4 minutes – 83.8%

7. Driving at 30 mph on dry pavement requires a stopping distance of 41 yards or nearly half of a football field. How far is the stopping distance traveling at 60 mph?
Correct Answer: 120 yards. (In this case, doubling your speed actually triples the stopping distance. And the faster you go, the worse it gets. On wet pavement it takes even longer to stop. Source: Lawrence D. Woolf, Ph.D. Staying Alive: The Physics, Mathematics, and Engineering of Safe Driving)
Respondents:
60 yards – 5.3%
82 yards – 31.8%
120 yards – 62.9%

8. Are Males or Females more likely to die as a result of speeding-related crashes?
Correct Answer: Males. (Males accounted for 79% of all traffic deaths caused by speeders. Source: Washington FARS)
Respondents:
Males – 81.5%
Females – 18.5%

9. How many fatal speeding crashes are predicted to occur in Washington in the year 2030?
Correct Answer: Zero. (Source: Target Zero: Washington State’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan 2010)
Respondents:
Zero – 8%
All Other Answers – 92%

Be Aware of Statewide DUI Patrols from August 19 through September 5

Whatcom County, WA – Seven people died in Whatcom County in Driving Under the Influence (DUI) crashes last year.*

In an effort to save lives, extra officers will be looking for DUI drivers between August 19 and September 5 during the annual Drive Hammered, Get Nailed campaign.

Last year in Whatcom County, during the same time period, officers on routine and extra patrols arrested 60 people for DUI. For all of 2010, in Whatcom County, 1,294 people were charged with DUI.**

A new law called “Hailey’s Law” went into effect on July 22, 2011. Now all DUI arrestees’ cars will be towed and impounded for at least 12 hours. Only a registered or legal owner who was not in the car at the time of arrest is allowed to get the car out of impound before the mandatory 12 hours.

“This new law helps eliminate the danger of drunk drivers getting back into their cars and putting everyone at risk,” said Lowell Porter, Director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. “Now all drunk drivers face the costs of towing and impound in addition to jail time, losing their driver’s license, and the high cost of a DUI.”

The Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden, and Western Washington University Police Departments, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol will join nearly 10,000 other agencies nationwide in this Drive Hammered, Get Nailed campaign.***

The Whatcom County Traffic Safety Task Force organizes and supports this enforcement effort.

* According to Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). This is preliminary data pulled on 7/18/11.

** According to the Administrative Office of the Courts: http://www.courts.wa.gov/caseload/?fa=caseload.showReport&level=d&freq=a&tab=CourtLevel&fileID=rpt07

*** http://www.stopimpaireddriving.org/planners/crackdown2011/index.cfm#em

Consider This Your Warning. Law Enforcement Will Be Out on Spokane, Whitman and Pend Oreille County Roads for Speeding Patrols

Spokane, Whitman and Pend Oreille Counties, WA – Between July 15 and August 7, law enforcement officers throughout Spokane, Whitman and Pend Oreille Counties will be part of a statewide effort in search of speeding drivers.

On July 14, law enforcement officers from Ellensburg to Spokane will be distributing educational information to citizens about the dangers of speeding, to kick-off this statewide speeding campaign. Drivers need to be sure they obey posted speed limits and slow down in heavy traffic and bad weather. The speed law is strictly enforced.

With summer upon us, there are a lot more people out and about, both as pedestrians and drivers. Unfortunately some driving habits such as speeding don’t change. It’s an alarming fact that even driving at 30 miles per hour requires a stopping distance of 41 yards. That’s eight car lengths or almost half of a football field! (Source: Lawrence D. Woolf, Ph.D. Staying Alive: The Physics, Mathematics, and Engineering of Safe Driving)

How much do you know about the dangers of speeding?  Take this short quiz below.

TRUE OR FALSE: About 20% of all traffic fatalities in Washington involve speeding drivers. FALSE. More than 40% involve a speeder. (Source: Target Zero: Washington State’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan 2010)

TRUE OR FALSE:  A speeding ticket can cost as much as $411.  TRUE. The average speeding ticket in Washington is $156, but as your speed increases, so does the fine. In fact, a speeding ticket in Washington could easily cost more than $411. (Source: WTSC based on the AOC Bail Schedule)

TRUE OR FALSE: Most of Washington’s traffic deaths occur on freeways. FALSE. Most of Washington’s fatal and serious-injury crashes occur on rural roads, which are often unlighted and undivided. (Source: Target Zero: Washington State’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan 2010)

The Washington Traffic Safety Commission and the Spokane County Target Zero Task Force urges all Washingtonians to take this speeding quiz.  Visit www.considerthisyourwarning.com for these and many more brain teasers. Results will be tabulated on the accuracy of Washington drivers’ answers and available in August.

“Speeding is a major contributing factor in fatal and serious injury crashes in Washington, and therefore, is a priority of Target Zero,” said Lowell Porter, Director of the Traffic Safety Commission.  “Well publicized and highly visible speed enforcement is a proven combination that reduces fatal crashes. Obeying speed limits is something everyone can do to support highway safety in Washington.”

This is a joint news release from the Washington State Patrol and the Washington Traffic Safety Commission

(Seattle)—Are you one of the 70? Is your spouse? How about your children? Your teacher? Perhaps that nice man who held a door for you last week.

Any of those could be among the 70 people in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties whose lives were saved since Target Zero Teams hit the streets one year ago. The $6 million demonstration project was launched July 1, 2010.

“We expected to see a reduction, of course. But this exceeds our expectations for the project,” said Lowell Porter, Director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. “70 lives in just three counties, in just one year.”

Of course it’s impossible to know exactly who wasn’t killed. But it is possible to say how many weren’t.

In each of the five years prior to launching the Target Zero Teams, an average of 203 people died in traffic in the three test counties. In the year immediately following launch, the number dropped to 133.

The Commission also found that deaths in King, Pierce and Snohomish compared favorably to two similar counties that were pre-designated as control counties for the Target Zero Teams demonstration project. Finally, while traffic deaths are trending down statewide and nationwide, the drop seen in the Target Zero counties is steeper than the general trend.

“We now believe this high-visibility enforcement strategy is impacting all crashes, not just DUIs,” Porter said. “When police are out in force, drivers tend to slow down and buckle up. That saves even more lives.”

At the core of the teams are 21 Washington State Troopers and sergeants, augmented by local sheriff’s deputies and city police officers as time and funding permit. The teams patrol in very specific places: areas where drunk drivers have killed in the past.

During the past year, Target Zero Teams from all agencies have arrested more than 3,400 impaired drivers. But State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste is quick to add that Target Zero is about much more than just making arrests.

“From day one we’ve said we would measure success by a reduction in fatalities,” said State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste. “These interim results make us think we’re on the right track, and we look forward to final results after another year of hard work.”

Target Zero researchers use GIS mapping software to record the locations of previous DUI-related fatalities. They also track locations where citizens have reported seeing apparently-DUI drivers. The information is quickly fed back to team sergeants, to help them make rapid, day-to-day adjustments in where to patrol.

Patrols are not limited to freeways or state highways. Troopers, deputies and officers go where the data leads them. That means state troopers might be patrolling city streets, or city officers on the freeway.

“This is a great example of what can happen when agencies work together,” said Seattle Police Chief John Diaz. “If you choose to drink and drive, we’re going to find you and arrest you.”

The demonstration project is funded by a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It follows a smaller pilot program in Snohomish County that produced encouraging results.

At the conclusion of the project, independent researchers will review the numbers and verify these interim results. The Teams, WSP and the Commission are heavily documenting their work. The goal is to create a turnkey planning document that any other police agency can use to create their own version of the program.

# # #

Editors: Traditional in-person interviews can be arranged by calling Trooper Julie Startup in the WSP Bellevue office at (425) 766-0812. Trooper Startup will also coordinate any desired ride-alongs with Target Zero Team members.

Broadcast versions of the Target Zero Teams video and PSAs can be downloaded here:

https://targetzeroteams.wordpress.com/

Online versions of the Target Zero Teams video and PSAs can be found here:

http://www.vimeo.com/25727950 

(Olympia)- On Thursday, June 30 at 10:00 a.m., Lowell Porter, Director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, Chief John Batiste of the Washington State Patrol and Lt. Clay Monson of the Seattle Police Department’s Traffic Section will discuss the dramatic effect that Target Zero Teams have had on 70 Puget Sound-area residents.

The announcement will come via the internet, in webinar format. Audio and video will be provided, and you’ll be able to ask questions just as in a traditional news conference. In fact, this is a traditional news conference in every sense except that you don’t have to leave your desk.

Steps to Joining the Webinar:

1. Log in on the web first. https://wadismeetings.webex.com/wadismeetings/j.php?ED=162259962&UID=1263384602&PW=NZTJlMDI3Yjhh&RT=MiM0
   1. Enter your name & e-mail address in the boxes shown.
   2. In the drop down box, select that you will Dial In.
   3. A dialog box will open giving you the phone number, conference ID and unique user ID.
   4. If it should ask for a password, enter target070.
2. Dial the phone number provided. (Should be 1-877-669-3239.)
   1. When prompted by the operator, punch in the conference ID: (Should be 929 563 313#)
   2. When prompted by the operator, punch in the user ID provided. (Unique to your login, provided by the system when you log in on the web as Step 1.)

Simultaneously to starting the webinar, we will issue a news release that will include links to both low and high resolution video about Target Zero. We also have personnel standing by for traditional on-camera interviews.