Davis Law Group, P.S.

Police Cracking Down on Drivers in Snohomish County

Law enforcement in Snohomish County will be stepping up patrols for the next month with the hopes lowering death by auto acciden.

“We’re telling drivers what days, what times, which agencies,” said Lowell Porter, the director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. “Our measure of success is not tickets written.” This announcement comes on the heels of the new Statewide initiative called "Slow Down or Pay Up."

With nearly 4 in every 10 traffic fatalities around the state and in Snohomish County are blamed on excessive speed, according to state statistics. In total, 94 people died in the county in speeding-related crashes and 213 people died Statewide between 2004 and 2008. The accident death rate in Snohomish County was proportionate with its population.

Because crashes happen most frequently on Fridays and during the weekends, the patrol shifts are scheduled on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and weekends from noon to 8 p.m. Overtime costs will be paid by the state, Porter said. Statistics show that in Snohomish County, more than half of the speeding-related fatal crashes involved only one car with young men being victims more than anyone else.

Drunken driving continues to be the top cause of traffic deaths in the state.