Washington State Patrol Warns 87% of Speed-Related Deaths Happen OFF the Interstate

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration just released a sobering statistic that in 2024, 87% of speed-related deaths happened on non-interstate roads.

When most people think about dangerous speeding, they picture a car weaving through freeway traffic at 100 miles per hour, but the data tells a very different story.

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Not I-5. Not I-90. It is the two-lane roads, rural highways, and country roads that connect communities across Washington state every single day that show to be the most dangerous. The study says 87 out of every 100 speed-related deaths happen off the interstate.

Why Washington State Rural Roads Are So Dangerous

Less than a quarter of the US population lives in rural areas, but rural roads account for disproportionately more traffic fatalities nationwide. Many specific but complex reasons are worth understanding before your next drive through rural Washington.

Farm machinery is one factor because it moves slowly and takes up significant road space, and can appear around corners with no warning. Rural roads also have many sudden, sharper turns that are designed for lower speeds than many drivers use approaching them.

Rural roads also have loose gravel and soft shoulders that reduce traction and vehicle control, unlike paved urban roads.

Another factor is that response times for emergency services in rural areas are much longer, and injuries that might be survivable closer to a hospital can easily become fatal on a remote two-lane road.

What This Means for Tri-Cities Drivers

The rural farm roads connecting Pasco to Connell, the two-lane highways through the Horse Heaven Hills, the rural routes between Kennewick and Walla Walla- these are exactly the kinds of roads NHTSA is talking about.