Posted on 08/03/2021 8:59:53 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
TACOMA, Wash. — State troopers are responding to an increased number of traffic collisions near an Interstate 5 construction zone in Tacoma.
“We’re looking at a little more than two collisions that happen on this stretch per day,” Trooper Robert Royer with the Washington State Patrol said.
The data provided by the agency, which covers the distance between milepost 132 (near state Route 16 exit) to milepost 136 (near the Port of Tacoma Road exit), shows traffic collisions are up 33% since 2019. With more than 400 collisions already reported this year (so far), troopers are responding to at least two crashes a day on that specific stretch of the interstate.
Royer said the primary reason behind most of the collisions is distracted driving.
“When I drive through this area on a daily basis, I see people on their phones. I see people putting on makeup, eating behind the wheel because they just get bored when they’re stuck in traffic. And those are the reasons why we have so many collisions,” Royer said.
Royer also attributed the rise in collisions to poor driving habits picked up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether it’s because people were home (and not driving) or because they were driving frequently on emptier streets, the mass influx of drivers on roadways has caused problems for troopers statewide.
(Excerpt) Read more at kiro7.com ...
PING!
How far from the nearest marijuana shop?
Seems to be a pandemic of the lousy drivers.
The place is basically always a parking lot fed by like 8 lanes of highway traffic. But yeah - distracted driving - ok.
It’s been that way for as long as I can remember. I’ve had many close calls but luckily no collisions.
(Knock on a leftist’s wooden head)
20 years....? Wonder if anyone even looked at the black hole where the money went too.
Unions, careers, pensions, padding, etc.
Sorry...AND the pot.
That’s a good point. If the construction lasts for years and years, it makes sense that drivers eventually get sick of driving the recommended speed (usually between 40 and 55). So they go normal, putting the construction workers in danger.
I-5 is a mess.
We used to dig a lot of razor clams at Copalis Beach.
Bingo.
That area has been under construction for 30 years.
“That area has been under construction for 30 years.”
Continuous improvement.
“I swear this project has been going on since my kids were little and my youngest is now 26 years old!!!”
That sounds like Chicago level of graft/corruption!
It used to be the joke that highway construction in/around Chicago took so long that an 18 year old could work on the same project and retire before the job was completed. With unions and corrupt politicians I expect that could be said of many cities.
“My take on this is when a project takes this long, the destruction/construction takes on an air of normalcy which drivers interpret as license to drive the normal speeds.”
That and some people just can’t leave home for work earlier than they are accustomed to, even if they know they have to pass through a major construction site.
Their mind tells them that if they leave home at 06:15 they will arrive at work at 07:00. When major construction occurs their minds just can’t make the adjustment.
I see that behavior in my daughter all the time. She just can’t adapt to certain things.
Yeah, exactly what I was thinking. I hate driving that part of I-5.
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