Holiday traffic violations cost lives in 2024

Of the 810 people killed by traffic-related incidents in Washington State that year, 78 died during the holidays.

Many of these tragedies are avoidable, if people choose to drive safely, officials said. “Impaired driving, driving too fast, driving distracted, and not wearing your seatbelts are bad decisions that cost lives every year,” read a press released from Washington State Patrol (WSP) and the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

A quick breakdown of those 810 fatal crashes from 2023: 51% involved an impaired driver (drunk, drugged, otherwise intoxicated). And 33% involved driving too fast for conditions. And 17% involved distracted driving (texting, talking, fiddling with the controls, etc.). And, of those who passed away, 172 — at least 21% — were not wearing seat belts.

Oregon Department of Transportation’s reports for 2023 aren’t finalized yet, but those from 2022 show similar patterns. That year, 603 people were killed — and some 36,950 injured — on Oregon roads.

The most common actions that lead to their deaths include driving “too fast for conditions,” failing to yield the right-of-way or to stop for traffic signals, distracted driving, not slowing down for other vehicles, failing to stay in their own lane, or being run off the road by somebody else.

Hence, some advice from WSP and the Traffic Safety Commission:

Never, ever drive impaired. Do not let your friends or family members drive impaired. Better to designate a sober driver, call a ride-share, use public transit, or stay wherever you are than to die.

Drive slowly enough for safety — even if that means driving under the speed limit. Besides getting you killed, driving “too fast for conditions” can get you a ticket, even if you’re going below the speed limit. Rule of thumb: Reduce your speed by at least a third on wet roads, and by at least half on snowy ones. Ice requires the greatest caution; drive as slowly as necessary and, if the road becomes unsafe, pull over. Melting slush and layers of ice can slip the most experienced driver off the roadway. Just ask a certain The Dalles Police officer who responded to a weather-related crash in 2022, engaged the emergency brake, got out — and watched their patrol car slide slowly into the crash they’d come to report, as reported in Columbia Gorge News that week.

Pay attention. Keep your eyes on the road, hands on the wheel and phone stashed in glove compartment or pocket while driving. Set the controls (GPS, stereo system and temperature) before you start.

Wear that seat belt. It became a standard part of all vehicles more than 75 years ago for a reason: It can the risk of death or injury by 45% to 65%, depending on position in the vehicle and what kind of machine it is, according to estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. About 97% of Oregonians wore seatbelts in 2023, according to Department of Transportation data.