From July 15-Aug. 7 extra law enforcement patrols were out in search of speeding drivers. During the patrols in Clallam County, 76 speeding tickets were written in addition to six misdemeanor arrests, one negligent driving citation, two seat belt tickets, a fugitive apprehension, as well as four uninsured motorist and eight suspended/revoked license violations.
Participating in these extra patrols were the Port Angeles and Sequim Police departments and the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
According to an online survey conducted during these patrols, of the eight multiple choice questions asked, the majority of respondents answered six of the questions correctly. The final question was open-ended.
The Clallam County DUI Traffic Safety Task Force supported the extra patrols, funded by a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.
For more information about the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, visit www.wtsc.wa.gov.
WSP speeding quiz
1. TRUE OR FALSE: About 20 percent of all traffic fatalities involve speeding drivers.
Correct answer: FALSE. (More than 40 percent involve a speeder.
Source: Target Zero: Washington State’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan 2010)
Respondents:
True – 56.2 percent
False – 43.8 percent
2. TRUE OR FALSE: Most of Washington’s traffic deaths occur on freeways.
Correct answer: FALSE. (Most of Washington’s fatal and serious-injury crashes occur on rural roads, which are often unlighted and undivided.
Source: Target Zero: Washington State’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan 2010)
Respondents:
True – 29.3 percent
False – 70.7 percent
3. TRUE OR FALSE: Children and the elderly are most likely to die in crashes due to speeding.
Correct answer: FALSE. (More than 40 percent of people who died in crashes caused by speeders were young persons ages 16-25.
Source: Washington FARS)
Respondents:
True – 59.6 percent
False – 40.4 percent
4. Most miles are driven Monday through Friday. When do most serious injury and fatal speeding crashes occur?
Correct answer: WEEKENDS. (Nearly half of all serious injury and fatal speeding crashes occurred between
6 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m. Monday. But speeding enforcement happens every day.
Source: Washington FARS and WTSC)
Respondents:
Weekdays – 26.1 percent
Weekends – 73.9 percent
5. TRUE OR FALSE: A speeding ticket can cost as much as $411.
Correct answer: TRUE. (The average speeding ticket in Washington is about $156 but as your speed increases, so does the fine. In fact, a speeding ticket in Washington could easily cost more than $411.
Source: WTSC based on the AOC Bail Schedule)
Respondents:
True – 94.5 percent
False – 5.5 percent
6. If the posted speed limit is 60 mph, and you are speeding at 75 mph, how much time will you save on a 20-mile trip?
Correct answer: four minutes. (If you are stopped by law enforcement for speeding at 75 mph in a 60 mph zone, the ticket will cost $156. Those minutes you thought you were saving will now cost you $39 each. And an average traffic stop takes 10-15 minutes, so now you’ve actually lost time.
Source: WTSC and Washington Courts)
Respondents:
15 minutes – 6.9 percent
eight minutes – 9.3 percent
four minutes – 83.8 percent
7. Driving at 30 mph on dry pavement requires a stopping distance of 41 yards or nearly half of a football field. How far is the stopping distance traveling at 60 mph?
Correct answer: 120 yards. (In this case, doubling your speed actually triples the stopping distance. And the faster you go, the worse it gets. On wet pavement it takes even longer to stop.
Source: Lawrence D. Woolf, Ph.D. “Staying Alive: The Physics, Mathematics, and Engineering of Safe Driving”)
Respondents:
60 yards – 5.3 percent
82 yards – 31.8 percent
120 yards – 62.9 percent
8. Are males or females more likely to die as a result of speeding-related crashes?
Correct answer: Males. (Males accounted for 79 percent of all traffic deaths caused by speeders.
Source: Washington FARS)
Respondents:
Males – 81.5 percent
Females – 18.5 percent
9. How many fatal speeding crashes are predicted to occur in Washington in the year 2030?
Correct answer: Zero.
(Source: Target Zero: Washington State’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan 2010)
Respondents:
Zero – 8 percent
All other answers – 92 percent.
