Shelley Baldwin, acting director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, told a legislative committee that the state recorded 809 traffic fatalities in 2023 and that Washington exceeded the national fatality rate that year — the first time since 1980 that Washington’s rate topped the national average.

Baldwin and Mark McKechnie, external relations director for the commission, presented an updated state strategic highway safety plan called Target Zero built around a safe‑system approach (safer people, vehicles, speeds, roads and post‑crash care) and with a central emphasis on equity and safer land use.

Why it matters: commissioners and staff said impaired driving, speeding and unrestrained occupants are leading contributors to the recent rise in fatalities. The commission reported that impaired driving was involved in more than half of 2023 fatalities and that pedestrian deaths and young‑driver involvement have risen sharply in recent years.

Key data and trends cited

- Fatalities and rates: Baldwin said the commission’s final confirmed fatality count for 2023 is 809. The commission described a 50% increase in fatalities between 2019 and 2023 and a 75% increase over the last decade in overall fatalities.

- Young drivers and pedestrians: Fatalities involving drivers ages 15–24 increased about 74% over the last decade according to the commission’s analysis; pedestrian fatalities roughly doubled in the same period.

- Impairment and BAC risk: Staff cited NHTSA research showing crash risk increases with blood alcohol concentration; a commission presenter summarized that at 0.05 percent BAC the risk is roughly double a sober driver’s, rising steeply at higher BACs. The commission also cited an age‑BAC interaction study (Boas) showing younger drivers face higher fatality risk at each BAC range.

Target Zero update and priorities

The commission said the revised Target Zero plan applies the safe‑system framework and centers equity after months of community engagement. Priority emphasis areas include impaired driving, speeding, unrestrained occupants, young drivers, active transportation users and high‑risk roadway locations such as lane‑departure corridors and intersections.

Proviso funding, grants and enforcement pilots

Baldwin and McKechnie reviewed proviso-funded work from the 2024 supplemental budget: tribal grants, high‑visibility (HV) enforcement to supplement federal patrol funding gaps, and a Yakima pilot focused on ignition‑interlock compliance.

- Tribal grants: The commission solicited needs from tribes and awarded equipment and planning grants. Purchases ranged from lidar speed devices and portable breath test units to safety gear and variable speed‑limit warning signs; some grants are complete and others remain in process, the commission said.

- HV enforcement: Proviso funds covered gaps in federal enforcement funding and supported additional patrols. The commission reported 333 HV shifts, 184 DUI arrests and a high share of speeding infractions among stops during the funded period.

- Ignition‑interlock pilot: Washington law requires ignition interlocks after a DUI, but the commission reported a gap between convictions and active interlocks. The commission estimated about 30% of individuals convicted of DUI have active interlocks on vehicles; the Yakima pilot is examining barriers to interlock installation and relicensure (for example, people who are not licensed cannot be issued an interlock license). The pilot examines court orders, affidavits of non‑driving, probation practices and paths to relicensure to close the gap.

Questions and follow‑ups

Committee members raised supply and lab capacity concerns after a reference to a backlog in evidence testing (the traffic commission said it has funded toxicology testing equipment and staff in the past but cannot fully resolve the current backlog with available federal funds). Representatives asked about whether people who are indigent are able to get interlocks; the commission said indigent assistance exists but relicensing barriers and other administrative steps often prevent installation.

Ending

The commission asked the committee to note the updated Target Zero plan and the early results of proviso‑funded pilots and urged continued funding and interagency cooperation to address impaired driving, speeding and gaps in interlock compliance.