Violence and Injury Prevention Unit
Traffic safety
About the Violence and Injury Prevention Unit
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Public Health - Seattle & King County's Violence and Injury Prevention Unit focuses on preventing some of the most preventable health problems today and among the most significant problems facing King County residents. Our major focuses in are preventing deaths and injuries due to motor vehicle crashes, firearms, and drownings.
Our programs operate from the premise that injuries are not accidents; they are predictable and, therefore, preventable. For example, when an alcohol- or drug-impaired driver gets into a car and drives, it is not an accident if someone is injured or killed. When a young child finds an unlocked, loaded firearm at home, it is not an accident if someone is injured or killed. Nor is it an accident when a small child falls into the water from a boat and drowns because he or she is not wearing a lifejacket. Unfortunately, these are predictable events borne out soberly by the data, not unlikely accidents that occur merely by chance.
In King County, unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death of people aged 1 - 44 years. Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes play the major role in these deaths.
When an alcohol- or drug-impaired driver gets into a car and drives, it is not an accident if a crash occurs. Because crashes are predictable, they are preventable. Research and practice have shown that when alcohol and driving are combined, then judgment, reflexes, and timing are impaired, and crashes are likely.
The Public Health response
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Because driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs (DUI) causes injuries and deaths and exacts heavy tolls on our health care system, it is a public health issue, as well as a criminal justice issue, an engineering issue, and so on. Local health resources needed to respond to crashes include King County Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the King County Medical Examiner's Office, and local hospitals and health care providers. It is also important to understand the range of injuries incurred by victims of crashes. Some injuries are relatively minor (e.g., cuts, scratches, and bruises). Yet, too often, EMS, hospitals, and other health care providers treat severe injuries, such as broken bones, punctured lungs, and severed spinal cords.
After analyzing data that pinpointed the "trouble spots" on state highways in King County, we found that Highway 99 had over 5 times the proportion of alcohol-related crashes (and over 13 times the proportion of all crashes) of any state highway in the County. Between 1992 and 1996 on this road, there were 952 alcohol-related collisions resulting in 965 injuries and 21 deaths.
Download our Highway 99 Traffic Safety brochures:
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The King County Traffic Safety Coalition
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To address this public health problem, Public Health will continue to build and staff the newly formed King County Traffic Safety Coalition. The Coalition's goal is to prevent injuries and save lives resulting from motor vehicle crashes along Highway 99.
To be maximally successful, this intervention effort must be coordinated with and among many stakeholders, including law enforcement agencies, roads engineers, alcohol and drug prevention and treatment professionals, other existing task forces focusing on safety, health educators, and epidemiologists, the alcohol industry, the insurance industry, and community groups. Each of these stakeholders has a role to play in achieving the Coalition's goal.
Some of of the Coalition's projects will include:
- Assisting law enforcement agencies with coordination of "emphasis patrols" ("Emphasis patrols" provide an opportunity for law enforcement agencies from different jurisdictions to work together to stop drivers under the influence of alcohol and other drugs. Often, these patrols occur during times of excessive DUI rates, such as New Year's Eve or other holidays or events that encourage drinking);
- Working with the Washington State Liquor Control Board to educate serving establishments along Highway 99 of the project and to inform them of emphasis patrols scheduled; and
- Working with the coalition and community businesses to develop public education and media campaigns in King County.
1) High Volume of Crashes
- Between 1992 and 1996, there were 954 alcohol-related automobile collisions along Highway 99 within the King County limits. These 954 crashes resulted in 965 persons injured and 21 fatalities.
2) Significant Percentage of County Crashes
- Between 1992 and 1996, alcohol-related crashes comprised 8% of total automobile crashes in Washington state. During the same period, alcohol-related crashes along Highway 99 comprised 9% of the total automobile collisions along that route in King County.
- While some other state highways recorded higher proportions of alcohol-related crashes than did Highway 99, the volume of crashes on Highway 99 far exceeded those on any other state highway in King County. The following chart compares Highway 99 in King County with other state highways exceeding the state average of alcohol-related crashes between 1992-1996.
| State Highways (those portions within King County limits) |
Number of alcohol-related crashes
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Total crashes
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Percentage of total crashes that are alcohol related
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State Route
(SR) 99 |
954 |
10,789 |
9% |
| SR 509 |
176 |
1,420 |
12% |
| SR 169 |
148 |
1,228 |
12% |
| SR 164 |
119 |
1,249 |
10% |
| SR 203 |
64 |
477 |
13% |
| SR 104 |
53 |
590 |
9% |
| SR 2 |
28 |
310 |
9% |
| SR 599 |
17 |
150 |
11% |
| SR 527 |
15 |
151 |
10% |
Source: Washington State Department of Transportation
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