KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON - X-52 police patrols in King, Snohomish, Skagit, Island and Whatcom counties will hit the roads this Friday looking for speeding drivers as part of a statewide effort to eliminate deaths and injuries from motor vehicle crashes.

According to the Washington Department of Transportation, for the five-year period 2002 – 2006, speed was a contributing factor in 48,046 traffic crashes in King County. For the same period, speeding-related crashes in King County killed 244 people (about 49 people each year) and injured 27,735.

King County law enforcement officers participating in the recent X-52 patrol targeting impaired driving on March 15 reported making 331 stops, issuing 87 citations, and arresting 17 drivers for DUI.

X-52 patrols, or “Extra Patrols Every Week,” are part of a statewide strategy deployed by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission to meet “Target Zero” goals. “Target Zero” is Washington’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan, which has a goal of zero traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030.

Funding for the approximately 2,400 hours of extra patrols in King County comes from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. Public Health - Seattle & King County and the King County Traffic Safety Coalition are organizing X-52 patrols in King County. King County Traffic Safety Coalition members include representatives from a variety of King County law enforcement agencies, the Washington State Liquor Control Board, alcohol and drug prevention organizations, DUI victims’ groups, traffic engineers and non-profit organizations.

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