Washington drivers are crashing their vehicles in lower numbers than at any time in the past decade.
The good news was announced Friday in a release issued jointly between the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Washington State Patrol.
Fewer than 99,000 collisions occurred in 2011, down from 2001 and down significantly from the most recent peak in 2005 at 123,000 collisions.
“Drivers get the lion’s share of credit for this improvement,” said Darrin Grondel, Director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. “Seat belts and air bags can reduce fatalities, but a reduction in collisions means there has been a marked improvement in driver behavior.”
“Our state continues to be a leader in traffic safety because so many Washingtonians have joined the Target Zero Team with a goal of zero traffic deaths and serious injuries,” Grondel said.
Along with drivers, officials credit the coordinated efforts of state and local agencies brought together through our state’s Target Zero program, a collective effort of traffic safety experts focused on finding out what causes collisions and how to prevent them.
“Highway safety continues to be at the core of our efforts,” said Washington Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond, noting how highway safety features such as rumble strips and cable guardrail continue to prevent collisions, reduce injuries, and save lives.
“We are encouraged by the numbers but believe we can do even better. It’s going to take a continued commitment from all us – highway planners, drivers, plus our partners in law enforcement and driver education,” she said.
The 2011 numbers are considered preliminary until Dec. 31, but officials don’t expect them to change significantly. All categories of collisions are down, across the board.
- Injury collisions were down by about 20 percent, from the peak year of 2005.
- DUI-related collisions are down about 21 percent.
- Fatal collisions are down by about 30 percent from the peak year of 2005.
“This supports what we’ve long believed,” said State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste. “There are no accidents in traffic. Each of us has the power to reduce collisions simply by making better choices.”
Batiste believes the three most important choices are slowing down, paying attention to the road and driving sober.
“We don’t have to accept collisions as an inevitable fact of life,” Batiste said.
By the Numbers
Year
Total Collisions
Fatal Collisions
Fatalities
Injury Collisions
Alcohol Impaired
2001
113,908
575
649
43,782
6,389
2002
113,696
586
658
42,542
6,621
2003
113,313
540
600
40,715
6,379
2004
114,268
511
567
40,319
6,876
2005
123,158
582
649
43,421
7,392
2006
122,172
578
633
41,962
7,482
2007
118,829
430
571
39,706
7,325
2008
110,494
481
521
36,147
6,815
2009
103,008
455
492
34,620
6,481
2010
101,887
423
460
33,673
6,021
2011*
98,881
425
454
32,725
5,951
*2011 numbers are preliminary until Dec. 31, 2012
Tell Us: As the youngest members of your family get behind the wheel as newly licensed drivers, what good practices or words of wisdom do you give to them about staying safe on the roads?
