Target Zero Team watching you
You should always reconsider your choice if you are tempted to drive after consuming alcohol. Besides being a major cause of vehicle accidents and death, your odds of being caught in the act have recently risen around here.
There’s a new “sheriff” in town in the form of a Washington State Patrol Target Zero Team. Target Zero is a program aimed at reducing violators and accidents to the point of “zero traffic deaths” in the state of Washington by the year 2030.
Last week, I met the regional WSP emphasis force, consisting of five qualified, eager, well-trained, troopers assigned to dealing with intoxicated drivers. According to the WSP Website, each officer was selected by their agency because they are the most motivated and experienced at arresting impaired drivers. Evidently, they were well-chosen for our local District 4, as this group, outfitted with five brand new medium metallic gray Explorer police cruisers, is currently leading the state in DUI arrests.
However, the team’s ultimate measure of success will not be simply arresting a high number of DUIs, but will come from the reduction in DUI-related fatalities.
Even if you avoid causing an accident, injury or death due to your negligence, the resulting cost, inconvenience, stigma and blemished driving record of a DUI arrest is plenty harmful. The team’s presence is intended as a deterrent, and surely is one more reason to avoid mixing drinking with driving.
As part of an annual collision report summary, speeding was cited as another major cause of accidents for both single and multiple vehicles. While the Target Zero task force may be focusing on DUI violations, they will certainly not ignore speeders.
Speed itself can enhance the likelihood and severity of accidents, but drivers’ inability to handle their speed is generally the core problem. Many excess speed accidents could have been avoided at lower speeds. Cornering ability, stopping distance, and time to react to an emergency are all compromised at excessive speed. Few drivers possess the training or experience to drive safely above the speed limits.
While drinkers and speeders will likely attract the much of the officers’ attention, they will be looking for other infractions, especially those behaviors known to contribute to fatality accidents.
Failure to use seatbelts is certainly one of those behaviors. Though seat belt use in Washington state leads the nation, unbuckled drivers still account for over ten percent of traffic fatalities here.
Two other areas of Target Zero emphasis known to be traffic fatality contributors are unlicensed drivers and drivers going the wrong way or crossing center lines. Education and enforcement geared to reducing these phenomena are a must to achieve the state’s lofty “zero death” goal.
On a smaller priority level, the task force will address 75-year-old-plus drivers, semi-truck involvement and drowsy drivers.
These statewide teams are more than DUI emphasis patrols of the past. Experienced planners are using the latest Geographic Information System mapping software to guide the officers. Team members will know where crashes are occurring and which roads lead to high-collision areas.
State troopers will be assisted by sheriff’s deputies and city police officers who will be out every night of the week, 24 hours per day, looking for offending drivers.
And they don’t intend to have their cases overturned in traffic court. Now, Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutors will work with officers to improve the quality and content of their investigations and reports. These specialists are also available to assist local prosecutors in presenting the best possible cases in court.
As mentioned, enforcement is but one element of the master plan to reduce traffic deaths. Infrastructure engineering, public education and emergency medical service are also important factors in the cause. Nevertheless, enforcement has been shown to be effective. For example, in 2005, after seeing an increase in speed-related fatalities, Chief John Batiste ordered troopers to emphasize speed enforcement, and deaths have dropped each year since.
It’s obvious that the state of Washington is taking a serious stance in reducing traffic deaths by citing risky driving behavior. We drivers can help the cause and avoid getting tickets by avoiding those risky habits altogether.
Readers may contact Bill Love via e-mail at precisiondriving@spokesman.com.