WSP begins aggressive anti-speeding program

Washington State Patrol troopers are cracking down on speeders in Snohomish County, and the tickets are already piling up.

One after another, drivers found themselves snagged in a speed dragnet Monday morning. The speed traps are part of a new WSP program that targets specific areas where high speeds have caused a high number of crashes.

“By focusing our speed-related enforcement on those areas, we can drive those collisions down. We can drive the injury and fatal collisions down,” said WSP Sgt. Kirk Rudeen.

Officials says data determines which areas will be staked out. Right now, troopers have a heavy presence around Everett, Lynnwood, Mukilteo, Monroe, Lake Stevens and Snohomish.

If the program works in Snohomish County, WSP could start similar programs in other counties.

In addition to tickets, troopers are also handing out advice to speeding drivers that if they don’t slow down, they could very well get another ticket.

In just one hour on Monday morning, troopers handed out 13 tickets. Four drivers were nabbed going faster than 80 mph, with one driver clocked at 87 mph, according to troopers. Another person was arrested for drunk driving at 9:30 a.m.

Motorcycle cop teams are teaming up with marked and unmarked patrol cars in this year-long test program.

Drivers rushing to get places are getting caught off guard, and troopers say they’re intentionally visible with their speed guns in known trouble spots.

“People will start to see us through here,” Rudeen said. “The message will go out, the speeding start to come down. It’s all about changing driver behavior.”