The National Conference of State Legislatures just released their latest report
on statewide transportation policy, titled “Traffic Safety Trends: State
Legislative Action 2012.”
Interested to see how Washington compares to the rest of the nation? Here are some of the highlights from the report and where our state stands:
· “In 2012,
lawmakers in 44 states introduced more than 400 bills related to impaired
driving.”
Washington has
introduced a variety of impaired driving, including stricter penalties for
driving drunk with children in the car, stricter penalties for drive with a BAC
above .15, and requiring ignition interlocks after the first DUI offense.
Distracted Driving
· “Since
2000, legislatures in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have
considered legislation related to distracted driving and driver cell phone use.
In 2012, legislators in 36 states considered 165 driver distraction
bills.
Washington was one of the first states to pass legislation that prohibited
texting while driving, sparking similar bills across the nation
S Speed Limits
· “In 2011,
23 states considered bills regarding speed, including increasing fines for
speeding, setting speed limits, and punishing serious speeding offenders in
school or work zones.”
· Last year the
House of Representatives passed legislation that would allow municipalities to
lower speed limits on certain neighborhood loans. It was not passed by the
Senate, but a new version has been reintroduced this year by Representative
Cindy Ryu (D-Shoreline).
Pedestrian and Bicycle
Safety
· “Pedestrians and bicyclists are among the most
vulnerable users of roadways. In 2012, 39 states considered more than 200 bills
regarding pedestrian and bicycle safety.”
· Washington has
enacted multiple pieces of legislation to protect cyclists and pedestrians,
including stricter penalties for vulnerable users and requiring bicycle and
pedestrian safety training in driver’s education.
Read this story in Spanish.
