NEWS RELEASE

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

April 12, 2007

On Sunday, April 22, law enforcement officers throughout Snohomish County will resume speeding 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 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.

In Snohomish County, the first wave of enforcement took place from November 4 – 13, 2006 and the second wave took place between February 25 and March 10, 2007.

During the first two enforcement waves, Snohomish County law enforcement made 10,373 motorist stops and wrote 5,631 speeding citations.

The Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) is providing more than $300,000 to fund the extra speed enforcement waves in Snohomish County which places 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.

"During the first two waves of extra speeding enforcement, in addition to issuing numerous speeding citations, law enforcement in Snohomish County also recovered 4 stolen cars, apprehended 6 offenders with outstanding felony warrants, and successfully issued many other traffic violations," said Lowell Porter, Director of Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

The goal of this pilot project 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 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, the Washington Department of Transportation and the Washington State Patrol with reducing 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.