BELLEVUE, Wash. — This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com
The Bellevue Police Department (BPD) is cracking down on speeding drivers and street racers.
There have been around 1,973 speeding-related fatal crashes in the state since 2015, according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. This includes about 411 speeding-related fatal crashes in King County during that time frame and 42 speeding-related fatal and serious injury crashes in Bellevue from 2014 to 2023.
To combat the problem, BPD will kick off its Safer Roads Initiative this weekend. Officers will target speeders and street racers, and focus on areas where those types of activities are likely to occur.
“Whenever you’re traveling in an urban area, and you are choosing to street race, you are putting the lives of others at risk,” BPD Spokesperson Drew Anderson said.
Keeping its roads and highways safe has long been a priority for BPD. Bellevue drivers have seen the problem and asked the department for help.
“They have reached out to the Bellevue Police Department asking us to really tackle what’s been a concern, a growing concern, for them, and that’s speeding, and that is street racing,” Anderson said.
Bellevue residents encouraged to report speeding, street racing
Patrol officers will have a zero-tolerance policy for drivers who are caught speeding or street racing. If you are caught and stopped, you will be cited. And it won’t be just patrol officers on the lookout — citizens are encouraged to call police, and give locations where illegal activity is happening.
“We want them to contact us so that we can go to those areas and hold those folks accountable, because we don’t want to tolerate individuals who want to put our community members’ safety at risk,” Anderson explained.
BPD is asking community members to continue to report speeding, reckless driving, street racing, or vehicles traveling with a modified muffler by calling either the non-emergency line at 425-577-5656 or emailing bellevuepd@bellevuewa.gov. Community members should provide the make, model, and color of the vehicle, as well as the license plate number, when reporting infractions to law enforcement.
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