January 23, 2008
Crackdown targets speeding, DUI on Washington roads
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- The Washington Traffic Safety Commission says the State Patrol, sheriffs offices and police departments are coordinating an effort to reduce traffic fatalities.
It's called X-52 for "extra patrols every week."
The agencies are using collision maps from the Transportation Department to target roads with histories for speeding and drunken driving.
The commission is using $450,000 in federal funding for the emphasis patrols.
December 20, 2007
A time of too much cheer
Drunken-driving accidents jump in days before Christmas
By CASEY MCNERTHNEY
P-I REPORTER
People think of the days before Christmas as a vacation from work; a time to squeeze in last-minute shopping and reminiscing at holiday parties.
Many don't realize that those days see many more drunken-driving crashes.
"We don't want to frighten people unnecessarily," State Patrol Trooper Jeff Merrill said. "We just want drivers to be cognizant that on those days, they have a higher chance of running into an impaired motorist than on other days."
December saw more alcohol-related crashes in King County than any other month in the past two years, state Department of Transportation records show, and police expect hundreds of impaired drivers to get behind the wheel in the next few days.
Last year, the county's highest daily number of alcohol-related crashes -- 18 -- happened on Dec. 23, and the 48 tallied statewide was second only to New Year's Day, which saw 50.
The two days before Christmas each had 45 alcohol-related accidents statewide in 2005 -- the highest single-day number for the month of December, ranking both in the top five days statewide.
In the past two years, five people have been killed in alcohol-related crashes in the state on the two days before Christmas.
The holidays in general can be stressful, and people tend to drink more in the days before Christmas, knowing that they have time off to recuperate, police and substance abuse experts say.
"People often don't realize how much alcohol they're consuming when they're socializing," said Jim Vollendroff, King County's substance abuse prevention and treatment coordinator. "And it's not uncommon for people that have alcohol problems to relapse because of the holiday stress."
Through Jan. 5, the State Patrol assigns seven troopers and a supervisor who normally respond to 911 calls to specifically look for impaired drivers in King County. Merrill said a second squad of the same number will patrol in King, and squads of seven will be working in Pierce and Snohomish counties this weekend, all paid overtime by the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission.
Seattle police did not disclose specifics, but said that through Jan. 5, the number of officers dedicated to looking for impaired drivers is roughly double the number typically on DUI patrol.
So far, the emphasis has worked. State Patrol troopers specifically looking for drunken drivers have reduced the number of alcohol-related collisions and increased the number of DUI arrests over the same period last year (from Nov. 21 through Dec. 18).
Police don't reveal the exact locations for the emphasis patrols, but they say they review what bars have a history of over-service and monitor back roads where drunks try to sneak by undetected.
A State Patrol analysis of 2006 DUI arrest reports showed 43 people said that before being stopped, they last drank at the Muckleshoot Indian Casino in Auburn, which had the most reported DUI connections of any King County establishment.
Safeco Field topped Seattle establishments with 26 reports. Other than Safeco and Qwest Field, which had 16, the top 10 Seattle establishments linked to DUI arrests were nightclubs, including six targeted in a late summer Seattle police sting.
Trooper Joe Gannon, one of the seven State Patrol officers on DUI emphasis in King County, said there are several telltale signs of an impaired driver. He looks for wide turns, vehicles that stop a bit into an intersection, swerving into other lanes and a slow reaction time to police lights.
Wednesday night, Gannon found a man in his 50s traveling too close to the car ahead of him.
The man reeked of alcohol, though said he had had only two or three drinks. A test later registered his breath-alcohol content at 0.156 -- nearly double the legal limit.
Experts advise those expecting to drink over the holidays to plan ahead.
"And parents need to talk to their kids because kids have a lot of free time during the holiday season. Their actions can be no different than adults," said Vollendroff.
That's a tragic lesson one Snohomish County family knows all too well.
Hannah Zylstra was the brown-eyed girl who greeted her dad's good-mornings with a radiant smile.
The Snohomish High School junior's worst grade was an A-. She loved her family and knew what was right, said her dad, Fred Zylstra. But anyone can make mistakes.
Hannah was at a party last Dec. 23 where she drank with classmates before trying to get home before her 11 p.m. curfew. Her red Chevrolet collided with an SUV near Monroe.
Her family spent last Christmas Eve in the hospital, where her sister, who was a passenger in the accident, underwent surgeries on her face and leg. She lost sight in her right eye and has nerve damage in her leg.
This year will be the first Christmas without Hannah, who died at the scene.
Fred Zylstra and his family plan to spend Sunday at their church, which helped them through what he called the most difficult time of his life. One of the hardest parts is looking at pictures -- seeing her smile, remembering her voice -- and knowing she won't accomplish her dreams, Zylstra said.
He isn't used to having an empty space at family gatherings.
"You find yourself searching for a new normal," said Zylstra, who hopes Hannah's story will help others. "This is something you never want to go through."
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Patrol cracks down on drunken driving
P-I STAFF
A holiday crackdown on drunken drivers has netted Washington State Patrol troopers more than 100 intoxicated motorists this past week, including one man who already has eight DUI convictions.
The emphasis patrols began Nov. 15 and will continue through this holiday weekend with extra patrols specifically looking for drivers who appear intoxicated.
One such driver was stopped about 3 a.m. Wednesday on state Route 99 just north of South 200th Street in SeaTac. The State Patrol said the man was changing lanes erratically. The trooper allegedly smelled alcohol on the driver and handcuffed him after the driver failed a sobriety test. The trooper said he also found a crack pipe and cocaine on the driver.
A records check revealed the 46-year-old driver had eight DUI convictions, a suspended license and was supposed to be driving a car with an ignition lock. No such device was on the vehicle, police said. He was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of drug charges and DUI.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
State Patrol DUI teams prepare for Labor Day sting
By HECTOR CASTRO
P-I REPORTER
Authorities announced plans to crack down on drunken drivers over the Labor Day weekend on Friday, the same day that a woman accused of killing a Seattle police officer was charged with vehicular homicide.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Washington State Patrol are calling the crackdown, "Drive Hammered, Get Nailed."
The state patrol will have DUI emphasis teams working from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend.
Last year, troopers in King County arrested 52 people for driving under the influence over the holiday weekend. So far this year, troopers in King County have made 1,954 drunken driving arrests.
The announcement came the same day Mary Jane Rivas, 31, was charged with vehicular homicide in the death of Officer Joselito Barber. Rivas is accused of being under the influence of cocaine when she slammed into Barber's patrol car, killing the officer instantly the morning of Aug. 13.
The officer's funeral is set for Monday.
And on Wednesday, Susan West, who once served six years in prison for a drunken driving death, pleaded guilty to being caught drunk yet again behind the wheel.
West killed a woman in 1997, hitting her as she walked alongside a road in Issaquah. Her most-recent drunken driving arrest came in June. It was her sixth drunken driving arrest.
Next year, a new state law will take effect that would make a fifth drunken driving arrest in a 10-year period a felony.