‘Shocking statistic’: Washington records most traffic deaths state has seen since 1990
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Last year, Washington reached a 33-year high with traffic deaths in the state.
According to preliminary data shared by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission earlier this week, 2023 ended with 810 traffic-related fatalities — about a 10% rise from the year before.
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2022 previously held the record for the most traffic deaths the state had seen since 1990.
“810 is not just a shocking statistic,” WTSC Director Shelly Baldwin said in a statement. “Every number represents a life lost… The people who mourn have had their lives changed forever. I hold them in my heart as I ask drivers to take the actions we know save lives. Drive sober. Be patient. Stay focused. Buckle up.”
Pedestrian and motorcyclist traffic fatalities reached an all-time high for the state. Officials reported there were 157 pedestrians and 141 motorcyclists killed on Washington roads last year.
WTSC cited “high-risk behaviors” as one factor contributing to increased traffic deaths. From 2022 to 2023, preliminary data show a 4% rise in drug and alcohol-impaired driving, a 10% rise in “unrestrained vehicle occupants” and a 36% rise in distracted drivers.
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There was, however, a 1% decline in fatalities involving excessive speed. And Washington is making investments to improve road safety.
In mid-December, Sen. Maria Cantwell announced the state had received $38.3 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation Safe Streets and Roads for All program.
The funding was distributed across 25 communities statewide, one of which is Vancouver.
Federal officials allocated more than $5 million so the city could begin developing “safety projects and strategies” on Fourth Plain Boulevard — which is considered the most dangerous corridor in the area.
Just this March, a Vancouver pedestrian died in a traffic incident on Fourth Plain Boulevard, on the same day that a motorcyclist died in a separate incident in the city.
“We cannot continue to watch increasingly erratic driver behavior cause more crashes, deaths and injuries,” Washington Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar said.
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