Thurston County has one of the deadliest stretches of road in Washington state

The Olympia area has one of the deadliest 10-mile stretches of highway in Washington, according to a new report.

The section of Interstate 5 between Trosper Road Southwest and Meridian Road Northeast saw 11 fatal crashes between 2019 and 2023, putting it in a tie for fourth place, according to an analysis published by Seattle Injury Law. Twelve people died in those wrecks, per the report.

Meanwhile, a stretch of I-5 in the Tacoma area topped the list, with highway sections in and near Bellingham, Everett, Renton, Seattle, SeaTac and Vancouver also making appearances, according to the report, which was published Sept. 19.

The analysis was based on data managed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, per the report.

Here’s a closer look at the report, plus more state-level traffic fatality information: 

How deadly is I-5? What about other Washington highways?

I-5 makes the most appearances on the list of the deadliest 10-mile stretches of highway in Washington, with all but three of the entries featuring part of the major north-south thoroughfare. I-5 runs down western Washington from the Canadian border to Oregon and beyond.

A section of Interstate 205 also makes an appearance, and so do sections of Interstate 405 and 90.

The report used 2019-23 data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System. What are the deadliest 10-mile highway sections in Washington:

Here are the deadliest 10-mile sections of highway in Washington from 2019 to 2023, according to the Seattle Injury Law report:

1. I-5 between South 38th Street and State Route 18 in the Tacoma area, with 22 fatal crashes and 25 deaths
2. I-5 between South Dearborn Street and Northeast 145th Street in the Seattle area, with 20 fatal crashes and 20 deaths
3. I-5 between South 288th Street and Interurban Avenue South in the SeaTac area, with 18 fatal crashes and 21 deaths
4. (tie) I-5 between Trosper Road Southwest and Meridian Road Northeast in Tumwater/Olympia, with 11 fatal crashes and 12 deaths
5. (tie) I-5 between Lowell Road and 88th Street Northeast in Everett/Marysville, with 11 fatal crashes and 12 deaths
6. (tie) I-205 between Southeast Lewis and Clark Highway and Northeast 134th Street in the Vancouver area, with 11 fatal crashes and 12 deaths
7. I-5 between 41st Division Drive and South 56th Street in the Tacoma area, with 10 fatal crashes and 11 deaths
8. I-405 between I-5 and Coal Creek Parkway Southeast in the Renton area, with 10 fatal crashes and 10 deaths
9. (tie) I-5 between Lakeway Drive and Main Street in Bellingham/Ferndale, with nine fatal crashes and 10 deaths
10. (tie) I-90 between Renton Issaquah Road Southeast and State Route 18 in Renton/Preston, with nine fatal crashes and 10 deaths

The report said the boundaries are approximate. 

How many fatal wrecks are there on Washington roads every year?

Traffic fatalities dropped in Washington in 2024 for the first time in several years, according to preliminary data from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission released in May. The state saw 731 traffic deaths in 2024 compared to 809 in 2023, the agency said in a news release.

Still, that was a 36% increase over the 538 traffic deaths in 2019, per the release.

“This is obviously a welcome change to see our annual fatality numbers decline after experiencing large increases over the previous four years. Law enforcement and other traffic safety partners have worked hard to reverse the deadly trend we experienced in 2020-2023. And we still have a lot of work to do to further reduce these historically high fatality numbers,” Shelly Baldwin, commission director, said in the release.

The commission said four behaviors by drivers play a role in at least 75% of traffic deaths each year: * Impaired driving * Speeding * Distracted driving * Failing to wear a seat belt

For more on the commission and its work, visit wtsc.wa.gov.

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