Highways Notoriously Bad This Weekend

Memorial Day weekend is a killer on Washington highways.

Seven people died in traffic accidents last year between Friday evening and midnight Monday, according to the State Patrol. The death toll was five in 1994, seven in 1993 and 10 in 1992.

Increased traffic is one reason why.

U.S. Highway 2 at Coulee City was 62 percent busier last Memorial Day weekend than it was the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before the holiday. Traffic on state Highway 20 increased 112 percent at Winthrop.

Drinking, fatigue and speed also contribute to the danger.

Nationwide, some 27 million Americans are expected to get behind the wheel this weekend and drive more than 100 miles. In 1993, the last year for which accident statistics are available, the AAA foundation said that 454 people were killed in crashes over the Memorial Day holiday.

Traffic experts believe fatigue caused many of those accidents.

“There seems to be a sense of urgency to travel and get where they’re going and have fun,” said State Patrol Lt. Bruce Clark.

, DataTimes