NEWS RELEASE

Slow Down or Pay Up - Enforcement of Speeding Law Resumes in Pierce and Snohomish Counties
Pierce County - April 16
Snohomish County - April 22

April 5, 2007

Starting Monday, April 16, law enforcement officers throughout Pierce County will resume speed patrols launching the third of four enforcement waves of the “Slow Down or Pay Up” campaign. The final enforcement wave is scheduled for July 2007.

The Pierce County speeding enforcement zone encompasses Highway 161 on the east border, Highway 7 on the west, 176th St. E. on the South and Highway 512 on the North.

The Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) is providing more than $300,000 to fund the extra speed enforcement waves in Pierce County which places up to 18 extra officers per ten hour shift on the roadways in the enforcement zone. Officers from the Bonney Lake, Dupont, Eatonville, Fife, Lakewood, Puyallup, Ruston, Steilacoom, Sumner, and Tacoma Police Departments along with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol participate in this pilot project focusing on speeding.

On Sunday, April 22, law enforcement officers throughout Snohomish County will also begin the third wave of speeding patrols in that area.

The three speed enforcement zones in Snohomish County, (South, North and East) include portions of nine state highways, along with seven other local roadways.  The South zone includes State Highways 9, 524, 527 and Interstate 405, along with 180th St SE; the North zone includes Highways 9, 528 and 531, as well as 67th Ave NE; and the East zone includes Highways 2, 9, 92 and 204, along with Machias Rd, 2nd St/92nd St SE, Ludwig Rd, Bickford Ave, and Lundeen Parkway.

The WTSC is providing more than $300,000 to fund extra speeding enforcement patrols in Snohomish County placing more than 35 extra officers per shift on the roadways in the enforcement zones. Officers from the Arlington, Brier, Bothell, Edmonds, Lake Stevens, Lynnwood, Marysville, Mill Creek, Monroe, Mountlake Terrace, Snohomish, Sultan, and Stanwood Police Departments along with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol participate in this speeding enforcement project.

The goal of this pilot project in two counties is to reduce collisions and the average speed of motorists, as well as to create a project that is replicable in other jurisdictions.

During the first two waves of speeding enforcement (October/November 2006 and January -March 2007) preliminary data shows almost 29,000 motorist stops were made with more than 16,000 speeding infractions issued.

"During the first two waves of extra speeding enforcement, in addition to issuing numerous speeding citations, law enforcement also recovered 15 stolen cars, apprehended 37 offenders with outstanding felony warrants, and successfully issued many other traffic infractions," said Lowell Porter, Director of Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

During the enforcement campaigns, the speeding law will be strictly enforced. If you are stopped for speeding, you can expect to receive a ticket.

“Slow Down or Pay Up” was initiated by Governor Gregoire, who, in April 2005, during a Government Management Accountability and Performance session, tasked the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and the Washington State Patrol to work with local law enforcement agencies to reduce the number of speeding related collisions.

This project is presented by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and funded with federal highway safety funds in combination with a grant from State Farm Insurance.