Troopers see 45-percent decrease in collisions over holiday weekend
July 6, 2009 · 12:26 PM
The Washington State Patrol staffed an extra eight Troopers in King County on the Fourth of July, specifically targeting drunken and aggressive driving.
The weekend’s emphasis was successful: there were no serious injury or fatality collisions on King County highways, and a 45-percent decrease in the number of reportable collisions compared to last year's Fourth of July weekend.
King County Troopers apprehended 51 impaired drivers and responded to 26 collisions, eight of them involving injuries.
“I am very proud of our troopers and the motoring public for their dedication in making our roadways safe," said Lt. Jeffrey Sass of the Washington State Patrol. "I am ecstatic to report that this is the second holiday weekend in a row that we have not had a serious injury or fatality collision on King County highways.”
On the night of July 4th, the patrol’s impaired driving section set up its Mobile Impaired Driving Unit (MIDU) at the WSP Roanoke Office. The MIDU was staffed with Drug Recognition Experts and BAC technicians that assisted the Troopers in processing impaired drivers. Between the hours of 11 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. the MIDU assisted in processing 10 impaired drivers and completed one drug evaluation.
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