TRI-CITIES, Wash. – Roadways around the Tri-Cities area are seeing a notable decrease in the number of car crashes this year, according to data from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
Benton County recorded over 2,500 crashes this year, while Benton and Franklin counties combined saw more than 3,700 crashes. This is a significant drop from the 5,000 crashes reported in 2022.
The number of distracted driving crashes also decreased, with 504 incidents reported this year, down by 205 from the previous year.
Washington State Trooper Sarah Clasen believes there are multiple reasons for the decrease in crashes.
“I think that there’s some people that, I think are getting used to not looking at their phone while they’re driving,” said Clasen.
She also says she hopes that modern vehicle technology is also playing a role in preventing car crashes, like lane assistance and auto-breaking.
However, according to WSDOT’s 10 Year Crash Summary, fatalities and suspected serious injury crashes have nearly doubled.
Trooper Clasen says she’s unsure about any direct correlations, but knows it started to increase around the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I know we’ve had a lot of collisions that ended in fatalities just because a seatbelt wasn’t on,” said Trooper Clasen. “So there’s a lot of very preventable fatalities.”
Clasen says that the most dangerous seasons for driving are winter and summer. Winter brings poor road conditions, while summer sees increased travel and late-night driving. She says WSP will continue to monitor roads, looking at problem places and responding to calls when they come in.
