Deaths on Washington roads continue to rise [Video]

Washington roads are becoming more dangerous and deadly each year.

Hundreds of lives lost because of distracted, impaired, or reckless drivers. There were more than 800 fatalities last year alone.

“We very intentionally do not call these accidents, because they’re not accidental. They’re predictable, and they’re preventable,” says Mark McKechnie. “The number as of today is that 818 people died on Washington roads in 2023, which is another new high since 1990.”

McKechnie is with Washington’s Traffic Safety Commission, working to educate anyone who gets behind the wheel.

“They’re piloting a two-ton projectile through space. They need to be paying attention to that and not other things,” says McKechnie about drivers.

According to the Traffic Safety Commission, nearly half of deadly crashes involved an impaired driver. Nearly a third of deadly crashes involved a speeding driver.

The biggest climb in fatalities, carried through the pandemic. The global uncertainty fueling new …