Fatal and serious injury collisions in Thurston County have not been reduced in recent years, despite state and local goals to eliminate such collisions in the next decade.
Over the past six years, the number of suspected serious injury collisions in the county have largely risen while fatal collisions have fluctuated, according to data from the Washington State Department of Transportation.
These trends run against the aim of Target Zero, a strategic highway safety plan developed by Washington state in 2019. The plan calls for ending fatal and serious injury collisions on roadways by 2030 with data-driven strategies and solutions.
Aiden Dixon, an associate planner at the Thurston Regional Planning Council, said this unfortunate trend is not unique to Thurston County or even Washington state. Still, he said TRPC — a regional council of governments that analyzes data to tackle challenges caused by the region's growth — remains committed to Target Zero.
"It is quite a challenge to be sure, but it's definitely within the realm of possibility," Dixon said of the plan. "That being said, the data that we have suggests that we are trending in the wrong direction."
The state counted 54 collisions in Thurston County where people suffered a suspected serious injury in 2017. Tallies for the following years show 67 in 2018, 77 in 2019, 73 in 2020 when the COVID-19 restrictions began, 93 in 2021 and 99 in 2022.
Annual numbers of traffic fatalities fluctuated in the teens up until 2018 when it peaked at 25, according to the data. Totals fell to 19 in 2019 and 18 in 2020 before picking up 20 in 2021 and then falling back down to 17 in 2022.
The total number of collisions per year fell from a high of 5,007 in 2017 to a low of 3,418 in 2020, at the height of pandemic shutdowns. The total then reached 4,388 in 2021 and 3,968 in 2022.
Karen Parkhurst, Planning and Policy Director for TRPC, said data from the pandemic may have been affected by lower traffic volumes. Though traffic has recently bounced back, it's still unclear how the pandemic may continue to affect trends.
"When there's fewer cars on the road, for the people that like to go fast, they have more room to go fast," Parkhurst said. "There was probably a bit less enforcement because we have shortages of workers. ... It remains to be seen what's going to happen with telework over time."
Incomplete data for 2023 shows 12 fatal collisions, 37 suspected serious injury collisions and 600 total crashes thus far.
About 58% of all Thurston County traffic fatalities involved impairment from alcohol or drugs between 2018 to 2022, according to data from the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission. The data show 43% involved a lane departure, 26% involved motorcyclists and 32% involved speeding.
These performance metrics are collected by Target Zero which are in turn used as county-level priorities, according to the commission.
Where are fatal collisions occurring?
The data includes locations for fatal collisions, revealing portions of roadways where fatal crashes occur each year.
These locations are spread out across the county when looking back to 2018. However, some areas of concern are apparent at a high level.
For example, fatal collisions occurred on Interstate 5 near 113th Avenue Southwest in 2022, 2021 and 2020. Additional collisions occurred on this highway between 93rd Avenue and Tumwater Boulevard, including two in 2018, one in 2022 and one in 2023.
In another example, fatal collisions occurred on Highway 12 between Grand Mound and Rochester in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. More fatal collisions occurred on Highway 12 west of Rochester in 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019.
In a local safety analysis, Thurston County identified a high number of fatal or serious injury collisions occurring on county roads in this area as well.
The analysis is part of the county's Rural Mobility Strategy Study, an effort to identify priority corridors and intersections where improvements should be made.
Dixon, who also works on the county's study, said the circumstances of collisions in south and north Thurston County tend to be different.
"When we have traffic fatalities in the southern portions of our county, it's usually a car that has departed from the roadway and has impacted a fixed object like a pole, a wall or a tree," Dixon said.
In north Thurston County, where there's more density and traffic, there tends to be more cars colliding with other cars, Dixon said.
Though this is a "basic" example, Dixon said information like this can be used by local public works departments to devise solutions for specific areas.
"You could dig even deeper to find what all these injuries and fatalities have in common," Dixon said. "Are they all happening at night? Maybe that means we should install better lighting. Are they taking this turn too fast? Maybe we should put a sign that alerts them of a sharp turn."
Dixon said local jurisdictions should ideally plan for multiple layers of protection to both prevent crashes and minimize the harm caused to those involved in crashes.
These protections should also cover people who don't drive for various reasons, which may include personal preferences, finances or a disability, he added.
