As has been widely reported, the Aurora Traffic Safety Project launched a major Safe Driving Emphasis Patrol on Aurora yesterday. More than 60 personnel from the Seattle Police Department and the Washington State Patrol patrolled Aurora all day and all night.
The patrol focused on the behaviors that most frequently contribute to collisions, injuries and deaths along Aurora such as speeding, following too close, unsafe turns and lane changes, impaired driving (DUI), cell phone usage, texting and other in-car distractions.
The purpose of the emphasis patrol was to promote safe driving behavior, not necessarily to write tickets. In fact, SDOT, community volunteers and our partners at the Washington Traffic Safety Commission canvassed the area in advance of the patrol to warn drivers about the increased police presence coming to Aurora.
In one 24 hour period, SPD tracked a total of 670 violations and issued more than 500 citations for a wide range of infractions. This includes more than 300 speeding citations, 62 instances of driving while talking on their cell phones, and six driving under the influence (DUI) arrests. The complete breakdown can be found on the SPD Blotter.
Between April 2005 and March 2008, 1,581 collisions occurred on Aurora between the Battery Street Tunnel and North 145th Street. Since the start of the Traffic Safety Project, collisions on Aurora have been reduced by more than 20 percent. We believe that a continued enforcement presence, along with street improvements and educational outreach, will reduce collisions further.
Anyone that travels Aurora regularly knows that Seattle Police and State Troopers patrol Aurora regularly. While there may not be 50-plus personnel on the corridor every day, it’s a safe bet that you’ll find our men and women in blue on Aurora daily.
Aggressive Driving Unit Leaves the Mobile Command Center Headed to Aurora