Cops will be out in force on Pierce County roads this Saturday. Here’s where, why
The holiday season is often rife with distracted-driving incidents, and law enforcement agencies in Pierce County are conducting high visibility patrols several times before the end of the year to reduce injury and fatality collisions.
The Washington State Patrol and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department will be out in force on Saturday on state Route 7 and state Route 512 to patrol for drivers looking at their phones, speeding, driving while impaired or other dangerous behaviors. According to a news release, the daylong patrol will have increased enforcement during peak collision times.
The emphasis patrol is the second of four that law enforcement are conducting in and around Pierce County on Nov. 19, Nov. 26, Dec. 17 and Dec. 31.
During the last patrol law enforcement from WSP and police departments in Puyallup and Lakewood made 87 traffic stops and observed a total of 150 violations. Seven distracted drivers were identified and 13 citations or arrests were made.
The patrols are part of a statewide effort during the holiday season to reduce collisions. According to the release, Washington saw a 20-year high in fatal crashes in 2021 with 602 collisions resulting in 670 deaths. That’s according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, which also maintains a dashboard of data about holiday traffic fatalities.
Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day last year, Pierce County recorded seven collisions that resulted in a total of eight deaths. In 2022, state troopers have investigated 29 fatal collisions in the county.
Troopers reminded drivers to always wear a seatbelt. During the last emphasis patrol, law enforcement found 13 seatbelt violations.
