I know you’ve been holding your breath, but you can let it out now. The results are in from the recent ‘X-52 DUI Holiday Patrols enforcement campaign’ (sounds fancy, huh?) conducted from November 19 through January 2, 2010.
The X-52 project is a strategy being used to reduce serious injuries and deaths on Washington’s roadways due to impaired drivers and speeders.
In Spokane County, 11 motorists were stopped and arrested for driving under the influence (DUI), and 34 speed citations were written. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, the Spokane Police Department, the Spokane Valley Police Department, the Cheney Police Department, the EWU Police Department and the Washington State Patrol, participated in the extra emphasis patrols with the support of the Spokane County Target Zero Task Force.
In 2008, traffic crashes killed 522 people on Washington roadways. Impaired drivers accounted for 251 of those deaths. The State Strategic Highway Safety Plan also known as “Target Zero” identifies impaired driving as the top priority.
Fewer lives were lost on Washington’s highways in 2009. The preliminary number of 480 is the lowest number of traffic deaths since 1955, when the official count was 461.