State Patrol targets I-5 speeders from air

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, August 2, 2006

The Washington State Patrol wants to put the brakes on a deadly problem on I-5 north of Marysville.

State troopers who patrol the freeway in north Snohomish County are noticing more drivers topping 90 mph, ignoring the posted 70 mph speed limit, Trooper Kirk Rudeen said.

Based on monitoring-station data, state officials estimate that each day, nearly 60 vehicles are topping 90 mph on the stretch of I-5 north of Smokey Point into Skagit County.

Although that’s just a fraction of total drivers, speeders can have a devastating effect on others, Rudeen said.

Troopers will spend the next three months stalking fast-moving drivers. They want to see the number of injuries and fatal collisions decrease on the freeway.

On the ground and in airplanes, troopers will focus on the north end of Snohomish County, where people heading north tend to hit the gas as they drive toward Skagit County, Rudeen said. Fewer drivers heading south are speeding, but the numbers are still substantial.

“We’ve got a problem, and we’re going to address it,” he said.

State investigators believe excessive speeds claimed a life on I-5 near Stanwood last week. Robert Hawley, 23, of Bellingham died July 26 after he crashed his motorcycle into the back of a northbound sport utility vehicle.

Last year, the state Department of Transportation recorded about 13,400 northbound vehicles traveling at least 90 mph on I-5 north of Smokey Point, Rudeen said. That’s an average of about 37 cars per day.

Nearly 8,400 southbound drivers were clocked at speeds of 90 mph or greater. That’s an average of about 23 cars per day.

Speeders can be cited for aggressive driving when caught driving 20 mph faster than the posted speed limit.

State troopers in an airplane Tuesday and Wednesday mornings helped nab 20 speeders, including three who were exceeding 90 mph, Rudeen said.

“The people who are driving that speed, they’re going so fast and covering so much ground, their time to react to a hazard is so limited,” he said. “When you get into a collision at that speed, so much energy is involved. The chances of walking away without a life-threatening injury are very small.”

Most speeders in the area exceed the speed limit by 5 mph to 7 mph, but nobody should expect to get off with a warning, Rudeen said.

“We’re just trying to get people to slow down,” he said.

Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.