A deer in the wrong place at the wrong time caused the only fatal accident this year in one of the worst areas to drive in Snohomish County.
The Washington State Patrol used to investigate an average of 10 fatal accidents each year in an area troopers call the “fatal funnel.” The triangle-shaped area is bordered by U.S. 2, Highway 9 and Highway 522.
Last year, there were no fatalities there.
The patrol late last month received the national Roadway Safety Award for the effect traffic enforcement is having on fatal accidents in east Snohomish County. The patrol was one of 14 winners recognized by the Federal Highway Administration and the Roadway Safety Foundation.
With just one fatal accident along east county highways so far this year, last year’s performance wasn’t a fluke, trooper K.A. Leary said.
“We’re still in that same direction, so that’s what we like to see,” Leary said.
The east county highways are dangerous for several reasons.
For the most part, they are two lanes wide, with no center barriers to prevent head-on collisions. Lighting is limited, which makes the highways especially dangerous at night. In addition, traffic volumes from commuters are growing, Leary said.Troopers have been nabbing speeders while keeping watch for drunk or aggressive drivers and people who don’t wear seat belts.
The patrol also has been monitoring its efforts to make certain they are having the desired impact, Leary said.
Troopers in recent years have ticketed thousands of east county speeders, peaking with 8,500 citations two years ago. The number of seat-belt citations there increased from 5,505 in 1999 to 9,159 last year. Drunken driving arrests, meanwhile, jumped from 277 in 1999 to 673 last year.
The only highway traffic death in east county this year happened Nov. 12 on Highway 522. Marjorie Scharf, 79, of Monroe died in a near-head-on collision with a Jeep that swerved into her vehicle to avoid hitting a deer.
“We wish we could have zero fatalities every year,” Leary said. “It takes people to watch their speed, and when they’ve been drinking, have a designated driver.”
The state Department of Transportation is working to widen Highway 522 to four lanes between Highway 9 and Paradise Lake Road. It also is working on a stretch of Highway 9 between highways 522 and 524.
More highway widening work is planned to begin by 2010.
“We’re looking at spots that have high accident rates, and we’re asking, ‘What’s wrong here and how can we fix it?’” Department of Transportation spokesman Travis Phelps said.
Rapid growth means “we’re seeing rural roads carrying urban amounts of traffic,” he added.
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
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