King County Police departments are hitting the roads with increased number targeting speeding drivers. Starting July 16, 2010 and continuing through Sunday, August 1st another part of the statewide "Slow Down or Pay Up" campaign begins.
Speeding may seem like no big deal, but in fact it is a leading cause of traffic deaths and injuries in King County and Washington state. According to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, from 2006-2008, speeding drivers killed 140 people in King County car accidents. Speeding-related crashes accounted for 44 percent of traffic deaths in King County during those two years.
Joining Kirkland and Redmond Police in the effort to curb speeders and save lives are police agencies from Auburn, Bellevue, Black Diamond, Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kent, Maple Valley, Mercer Island, Newcastle, Normandy Park, North Bend, Pacific, Renton, Sammamish, SeaTac, Seattle, Snoqualmie, Tukwila and the Washington State Patrol District 2.
The emphasis patrols over the next month are a key component of the Strategic Highway Safety Plan: Target Zero. The vision for the Target Zero program is zero deaths and serious injuries from traffic crashes in Washington by the year 2030.
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission funds the extra patrols.