Extra law enforcement patrols in King County from the latest “Slow Down, Pay Up” campaign issued 1,245 speeding tickets, in addition to three DUIs, three felony arrests, four aggressive driving violations, 15 cell phone citations, six seat belt tickets, as well as 50 uninsured motorist and 15 suspended/revoked license violations.
Auburn participated in the extra patrols during July 15-Aug. 7, along with Bellevue, Black Diamond, Burien, Covington, Des Moines, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kent, Kirkland, Maple Valley, Mercer Island, Newcastle, Normandy Park, North Bend, Pacific, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, Seatac, Seattle, Snoqualmie, and Tukwila police departments.
According to an online survey conducted during these patrols, of the eight multiple choice questions asked, the majority of respondents answered six of the questions correctly. The final question was open ended. See the results below.
The King County Target Zero Task Force supported the extra patrols, funded by a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.
For additional information about the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, visit www.wtsc.wa.gov.
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CONSIDER THIS YOUR WARNING: SPEEDING QUIZ
1. TRUE OR FALSE: About 20% of all traffic fatalities involve speeding drivers.
Correct Answer: FALSE. (More than 40% involve a speeder. Source: Target Zero: Washington State’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan 2010)
Respondents:
True – 56.2%
False – 43.8%
2. TRUE OR FALSE: Most of Washington’s traffic deaths occur on freeways.
Correct Answer: FALSE. (Most of Washington’s fatal and serious-injury crashes occur on rural roads, which are often unlighted and undivided. Source: Target Zero: Washington State’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan 2010)
Respondents:
True – 29.3%
False – 70.7%
3. TRUE OR FALSE: Children and the elderly are most likely to die in crashes due to speeding.
Correct Answer: FALSE. (More than 40% of people who died in crashes caused by speeders were young persons ages 16-25. Source: Washington FARS)
Respondents:
True – 59.6%
False – 40.4%
4. Most miles are driven Monday through Friday. When do most serious injury and fatal speeding crashes occur?
Correct Answer: WEEKENDS. (Nearly half of all serious injury and fatal speeding crashes occurred between 6pm Friday and 6am Monday. But speeding enforcement happens every day. Source: Washington FARS and WTSC)
Respondents:
Weekdays – 26.1%
Weekends – 73.9%
5. TRUE OR FALSE: A speeding ticket can cost as much as $411.
Correct Answer: TRUE. (The average speeding ticket in Washington is about $156 but as your speed increases, so does the fine. In fact, a speeding ticket in Washington could easily cost more than $411. Source: WTSC based on the AOC Bail Schedule)
Respondents:
True – 94.5%
False – 5.5%
6. If the posted speed limit is 60 mph, and you are speeding at 75 mph, how much time will you save on a 20 mile trip?
Correct Answer: 4 minutes. (If you are stopped by law enforcement for speeding at 75 mph in a 60 mph zone, the ticket will cost $156. Those minutes you thought you were saving will now cost you $39 each. And an average traffic stop takes 10-15 minutes, so now you’ve actually lost time. Source: WTSC and Washington Courts)
Respondents:
15 minutes – 6.9%
8 minutes – 9.3%
4 minutes – 83.8%
7. Driving at 30 mph on dry pavement requires a stopping distance of 41 yards or nearly half of a football field. How far is the stopping distance traveling at 60 mph?
Correct Answer: 120 yards. (In this case, doubling your speed actually triples the stopping distance. And the faster you go, the worse it gets. On wet pavement it takes even longer to stop. Source: Lawrence D. Woolf, Ph.D. Staying Alive: The Physics, Mathematics, and Engineering of Safe Driving)
Respondents:
60 yards – 5.3%
82 yards – 31.8%
120 yards – 62.9%
8. Are Males or Females more likely to die as a result of speeding-related crashes?
Correct Answer: Males. (Males accounted for 79% of all traffic deaths caused by speeders. Source: Washington FARS)
Respondents:
Males – 81.5%
Females – 18.5%
9. How many fatal speeding crashes are predicted to occur in Washington in the year 2030?
Correct Answer: Zero. (Source: Target Zero: Washington State’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan 2010)
Respondents:
Zero – 8%
All Other Answers – 92%
