Crime & Safety
Washington County Might Break Record For Traffic Deaths: Report
The most deadly year for traffic deaths in Whatcom County was in 2008. The county is poised to tie or break that record in 2017.
BELLINGHAM, WA - Whatcom County is approaching a record year for the number of people killed in car crashes, according to the Bellingham Herald. So far 20 people have died in crashes in 2017, which is one death short of tying 2008, the deadliest year over the last decade.
Twenty-one people died in that county in 2008. Over the last few years, traffic deaths only reached the mid-teens, according to the Herald. Impairment, speeding, and distracted driving were the top three causes of deadly accidents in 2017, the Herald reported.
According to the National Safety Council, 536 Washingtonians died in car crashes in 2016. Traffic deaths in 2015 and 2014 totaled 567 and 467, respectively. In 2015, a majority of crashes (309) in Washington involved just one vehicle, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
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File photo: A wrecked car along I-90 near North Bend on Sept. 19, 2017.
Image via Washington State Patrol
Find out what's happening in Across Washingtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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