FACT SHEET

Slow Down or Pay Up - Pierce County

October 6, 2006

The speed zone encompasses State Highway 161 on the east border, State Highway 7 on the west, 176th St. E. on the south and State Highway 512 on the north.

During 2005, on the roadways that border the enforcement zone, there were 1,036 collisions, 352 of those were speed-related and resulted in 178 injury collisions, and another 145 possible injury collisions.

For State Highways 7, 161, and 512 (three of the borders in the Pierce County enforcement area) there has been a 30% increase in speed-related collisions between 2003 and 2005, while the total number of collisions on the same roadways and timeframe have increased only 12%.

44% of all injury collisions on State Highway 512 have been caused by speed, 30% of all injury collisions on State Highway 161 have been caused by speed, and 24 % of injury collisions on State Highway 7 have been caused by speed (all are bordering roadways of the enforcement zone). 

Taken as whole, more than 1/3 of all the state highway collisions in the enforcement zone involved speeding drivers.

During 2005, there were more than 29,000 speed-related collisions in the state.  This represents 1 in every 5 collisions.  These speed-related collisions resulted in 219 fatalities, more than 16,000 injuries and 1.6 billion dollars in costs to society. 

The WTSC will provide $200,000 to fund extra speed enforcement patrols which will place up to 20 extra officers per shift (6am to 2pm and Noon to 8pm weekdays and 8am – 4pm weekends) on the roadways in the enforcement zone.

The first wave of enforcement for the “Slow Down or Pay Up” project officially launches on Thursday, October 5 with extra speed patrols which will take place 15 days during the month of October.

Other waves of speeding emphasis patrols are planned for: January, April and July, 2007

State Farm Insurance
As the leading insurer of automobiles in the country and in Washington, State Farm recognizes its responsibility to play a leadership role, along with partners like the WTSC and local law enforcement, in finding ways to prevent or reduce unnecessary tragedy.

The costs of medical expenses and vehicle repairs are two of the primary factors influencing the cost of auto insurance. State Farm investigates millions of accident claims every year, and knows first-hand that excessive speed is a major contributor to the frequency and severity of both bodily injury and property damage - estimated at 40 billion dollars per year – not to mention the human toll such tragedies exact. 

It is through collaborative efforts like this, between community partners and good corporate citizens, that State Farm is able to effect positive change and achieve real results.