Police Watching For Unsafe Drivers In The ‘D Zone’

Increased patrols along the Division Street corridor are raising awareness about speed and traffic safety, officials said this week.

As citations jumped during July, accidents along Division and Ruby streets dropped to their lowest level of the year, according to Spokane Police reports.

The safety-emphasis patrol is a joint effort by local traffic planners and law enforcement officials who saw a stretch of roadway with high congestion and increasing accidents.

Known as the “D traffic watch zone,” the North Division safety project focuses on a stretch of roadway that leads the state in collisions.

The emphasis zone stretches along Division Street from Interstate 90 to the Division Y and then follows the Newport Highway to Mount Spokane Park Drive.

So far, the effort seems to be working. There were six accidents on Division in July, compared with 19 a month earlier. The monthly average for 1995 is 14 accidents.

On Ruby, there were three accidents in July, half the 1995 monthly average.

“Citizens have come up and told us it’s good to see us out there,” said Spokane police traffic Sgt. Anthony Giannetto.

The city has placed special emphasis on combating red-light violators, and the Washington State Patrol is planning an emphasis on drunken drivers.

That’s in addition to more routine patrols, already resulting in more traffic stops and citations.

“We’re stopping a lot more,” said Lt. Bruce Clark of the State Patrol. “It may take a few months before people notice, but we’ve decided to focus on this area because this is an area of concern.”

Division Street is not only Spokane’s main commercial shopping strip and a main north-south arterial through the city, it is also a federal highway and major truck route.

The extra attention on safety is good, planners said, as accidents tend to increase around construction zones, and Division will have more of that starting this month.

“Over a three-year period you have the highest number of collisions in the state, and most of it is rear-end accidents in areas where there is construction,” said Dan Petek, a consultant with the Boulevard Group, hired by the state to publicize the patrol efforts.

In addition to the patrols, Division now has signs reminding drivers of the “D zone,” public-service announcements air on radio and television, and low-frequency radio broadcasts near Cavanaugh’s River Inn warn northbound traffic of upcoming hazards.

The broadcasts at 630 on the AM radio dial are audible within a quarter-mile of the hotel.

Part of the campaign is simply to remind drivers to be cautious, not follow too closely, and to obey traffic laws.

“Suddenly we have minor gridlock with regards to traffic. People aren’t accustomed to it,” said Petek, “In this town people were pretty good drivers until the growth started. Now they aren’t used to it.”

, DataTimes