New Bill Targets Extreme Speeding To Save Lives On The Road

It's a fact that speeding is the cause of almost 1/3 of all fatalities on Washington state roads in 2024. 250 people died because of speeding accidents. The most recent year we have data for is 2024. We're still waiting for 2025.  

Because of these statistics, the Washington State Senate wants to make extreme speeding, more expensive for the perpetrator. 

According to axios.com,
‘A bill that passed the state Senate this month would make driving more than 30 mph over the speed limit qualify as reckless driving — a criminal offense punishable by jail time and a 30-day driver's license suspension.
Right now, many such drivers are ticketed but not arrested or charged with a crime.’ 

To add to that, driving 20 miles an hour over the speed limit when you're going through a construction area with workers present would also qualify as reckless driving. 

It's all about physics. 

Look at the numbers. If you're doing 55 in a 25 mile per hour zone, your vehicle would have 4.8 times more kinetic force than if it was doing 25 mph. If you hit a pedestrian or a worker at that speed with that type of force, there's a 90 percent chance that it would be a fatal accident. 

Right now, the law requires proof that the driver was driving in a willful or wanton manner disregarding safety. Getting a ticket for excessive speeding doesn't necessarily cover that. 

The bill for this new law has already cleared The House Community Safety Committee. and will go up for a vote with a March 6th deadline.