RENTON, Wash. — Western Washington roads are expected to be jam-packed throughout the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
With that in mind, the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) urges everyone hitting the road to know drive times and practice patience.
“If something takes 30 minutes to get to, give 45 minutes or 50 minutes to get there so you’re not rushing and not speeding to get where you need to go,” Aisha Dayal with WSDOT said.
Washington State Patrol (WSP) is also hitting the roads this holiday season as they begin their emphasis patrol to crack down on drunk or high driving.
“You wanna put at the forefront of drivers minds to make good choices,” WSP Trooper Rick Johnson said.
Johnson said the roads have been dangerous for troopers recently. In the past five days, six patrol cars have been hit on King County roads. On Tuesday night, a trooper and tow truck driver were injured in a collision on State Route 167. The driver who hit both of the troopers’ patrol cars and the tow truck was speeding, according to WSP.
“You gotta watch that traffic and you will see when we make contacts on the non-traffic side of the vehicles for that reason so we can watch and stay out of harm’s way,” Johnson said.
Johnson said in 2023, 54 people were arrested in King County over the holiday weekend for suspected impaired driving. He also said there were 160 reported collisions in that four to five day span and three of them had serious injuries. WSP urges drivers that if they do plan to partake in any alcohol, then have a plan to get home safely.
“It’s not going to affect just you. It’s going to effect the rest of your life,” Johnson said.
To know exactly how traffic is on western Washington roads throughout the weekend, you can check WSDOT’s website and use its app to check drive times.
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