Yakima Police Trying To Slow Drivers Find Those Impaired

Yakima Police Officers are busy trying to send a message to drivers in Yakima to slow down and not run red lights. The Officers are involved in ongoing emphasis patrols in which each officer to required to make 3 to 4 stops every day.

You can't say Officers aren't busy with traffic control

During the last 4 weeks of January Officers made a total of 2,908 traffic stops and issued 1,398 citations to drivers.
Officers say they not only look for speeders and those who fail to stop at red lights but they're also focused on finding impaired drivers. In fact during the last 4 weeks of the month Officers arrested 49 DUI drivers.
Officers are also ticketing people who aren't stopping for red lights. 61 drivers received a citation for that violation during the first three weeks of the month.

2022 was a deadly year on Yakima roads

Last year was a deadly year in the city of Yakima and the Chief of Yakima Police wanted action taken. Late last year Police Chief, Matthew Murray wrote a letter to the community in which he says "the culture of anything goes on Yakima streets must change."
More than 20 fatality crashes were reported last year within city limits and numerous serious injury crashes involving vehicles and motorcycles.

Do you think lowering the legal limit to drive will make an impact?

A bill proposed in the State Legislature, if passed, could make Washington state just the second in the United States to lower its legal blood alcohol content level to drive from .08 to .05. Dr. Richard Ries, head of the addictions division in the University of Washington School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, says he expects traffic fatalities in Washington to drop by about 20% if the bill becomes law.