There has been some confusion about the recently passed “Crash Reduction Zone” law, and Washington State House Representative Mark Klicker reached out to clear things up.
Senate Bill 6066, supported by Representative Klicker, was recently passed by the Washington State Legislature in response to a series of crashes over the years that have caused fatalities north of Pasco on US-395. Lately, his office has been receiving calls and emails from people upset about a 5 MPH speed change in that area of roadway, and he wanted to try to clear up the confusion.
New Crash Reduction Zone Law Not Connected to Recent US-395 Speed Reduction
Senate Bill 6066 does not include any restrictions on speed or any other specific details imposed upon local authorities. It is a very broad law that gives power back to local cities and counties in Washington State so they can identify and address trouble spots like the one on US-395.
The bill goes into effect June 11 and authorizes local governments, only with public input, to create Crash Prevention Zones (CPZs) on specific public roads with high rates of serious collisions. Currently, three areas are listed:
- U.S. Highway 395 from milepost 23 to milepost 32 between Pasco and Mesa
- Highway 12 from Tank Farm Road to A Street
- Highway 12 from Attalia East Road to Nine Mile Canyon Road
After local officials designate a CPZ, a traffic and engineering study will identify possible safety improvements.
The law also allows law enforcement to step up enforcement in the zone to catch reckless drivers. Using a hand-held cell phone in a CPZ will carry an extra penalty, with those funds going toward recommended safety improvements for that zone.
The option of creating a CPZ will be available statewide in 2029, branching out from the first three designated areas.
Confusion Over New 5 MPH US-395 Speed Limit Change
At the same time the law was passed, WSDOT reduced the speed limit by 5 miles per hour between Pasco and Mesa, north of town. Most people seem to have assumed the 5 MPH speed change was caused by the new law targeting that exact area, but it wasn’t.
The newly imposed speed change has absolutely nothing to do with the passing of the new Crash Reduction Zone law, according to Representative Mark Klicker. Senate Bill 6066 doesn’t even go into effect until later this June, and even then, decisions about what can be done for that area will be made by the local city and county authorities.
Some have assumed the law created the 5 MPH change, and anger has erupted about that not being enough of a change to save lives. I spoke with Representative Klicker, and he agreed that 5 miles per hour is not nearly enough to fix the problem, but again emphasized that the speed reduction decision had nothing to do with the new law.
He wanted to remind people that those decisions won’t even begin to be made until after Senate Bill 6066 takes effect in June. He also agreed that big changes to these areas need to be made, and soon, local governments will have the power to make decisions about these dangerous stretches of road.
We talked about ideas like building an overpass or reducing the speed by more than 5 MPH, but again, those decisions won’t even start being made until this June.
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