<< Previous   of   Next >> Michael O'Leary / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Washington State Patrol trooper Greg Heider stops a driver along Highway 522, near U.S. 2.

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Drive safely on U.S. 2

State Patrol focuses on the dangerous highway

By Yoshiaki Nohara, Herald writer

As the weather turns soggy and roads get slippery, the Washington State Patrol is putting more troopers on U.S. 2 to crack down on speeders, drunks and aggressive drivers on the dangerous and congested highway.

"You are going to see us on Highway 2. If you are speeding on the highway, you will get a ticket," State Patrol trooper Kirk Rudeen said.

At least four troopers are patrolling the highway all day between Everett and Stevens Pass, Rudeen said. The State Patrol is set to add a few troopers every day over the next few months to improve safety on the road, using part of its overtime money.

Over the last eight years, 45 people have been killed in accidents on U.S. 2 between Snohomish and Stevens Pass, according to state accident data.

In 2006, troopers arrested 260 people suspected of driving under the influence and stopped 7,298 people suspected of speeding and 854 suspected of aggressive driving.

"We know Highway 2 is a very important road to a lot of people," Rudeen said.

In 2006, four fatal crashes happened on U.S. 2 between Everett and Stevens Pass, according to the State Patrol. Three fatal accidents have occurred on the road through August this year.

State officials are discussing how to improve the road. Gov. Chris Gregoire toured the highway on Sept. 11 and vowed to fix it. State traffic experts estimate that overall improvements of U.S. 2 would cost more than $1 billion.

Meanwhile, drivers can do their part to reduce crashes on U.S. 2, a mostly two-lane road.

"Our No. 1 priority is to educate people," said trooper Greg Heider, who has patrolled U.S. 2 for about eight years.

Fall adds hunters to the highway; winter brings in skiers heading for Stevens Pass. Weather changes quickly in the Skykomish Valley along the highway, Heider said. When it's sunny in Monroe, it may be raining in Gold Bar and snowing in Index. Speed limits often change as well.

Still, some drivers go too fast and drink and drive on the road, Heider said. He spent Thursday morning patrolling the highway. Heider stopped a Ford pickup near Startup. The driver wasn't wearing a seat belt. Heider issued the driver a $124 ticket.

"It's an easy thing. It's not surprising anymore," Heider said of wearing a seat belt.

In Gold Bar, Heider spotted a Mercedes sports car going fast. Hamid Tabrizi, the driver, was stopped and given a warning. Tabrizi said he wasn't aware of his speed.

"I will pay a lot more attention to speed limit signs," Tabrizi, of Mill Creek, said.

Too many drivers violate traffic rules on U.S. 2. So much so, troopers can't keep up with all the violations, Heider said. They need to focus on driving to keep themselves and others from getting injured and killed in crashes.

"You have to be on the game all the time because the margin for error is so small around here," he said.