The Bellevue Police Department (BPD) will launch the third annual King County Target Zero “100 Safe Days of Summer” program on Friday and Saturday in an effort to prevent, intervene, and enforce the dramatic rise of impaired and distracted driving-related road incidents across Washington State.
As a continuing partner of the King County Target Zero Task Force, the BPD will host the Mobile Impaired Driving Unit (MIDU) at the northwest corner of Bellevue Way NE and NE 8th Street in Bellevue where Officers will take individuals suspected of impaired driving for routine procedures used in DUI-related cases – including breath test processing and lawful blood draws and screenings. Media wishing to attend must RSVP with Drew Anderson at daanderson@bellevuewa.gov.
WHO: Bellevue Police Department, King County Target Zero Task Force
WHEN: Friday, June 7 at 8:00-10:00 PM (Press Availability)
WHERE: Northwest Corner of Bellevue Way NE and NE 8th Street
“There is zero excuse to drive impaired in 2024. The statewide spike in impaired traffic incidents is alarming, and unfortunately, Bellevue is not immune to this problem,” said Wendell Shirley, Chief of the Bellevue Police Department. “Residents can rest assured that Bellevue Police Officers will be working around-the-clock this summer to hold accountable individuals who drive impaired and jeopardize Bellevue as being the safe place to work, live, and play.”
Between 2022 and 2023, Bellevue Police saw about a 15-percent increase in DUI incidents – with 270 DUI-related cases in 2022 and 310 DUI cases in 2023. There have been 94 DUI-related cases so far in 2024. Additionally, the BPD provided 566 citations to motorists who used electronic devices while driving in 2023 and 144 citations for drivers in 2024 thus far.
Bellevue’s figures reflect a larger (and dangerous) trend about Washington’s roads. According to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, the state reached a 33-year high in traffic-related fatalities on Washington’s roads – including 400 deaths that involved an impaired motorist and 135 that involved a distracted driver. More data surrounding this growing problem can be found by visiting a dashboard provided by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. The “100 Safe Days of Summer” effort is a public attempt to mitigate this growing and alarming trend.
The BPD is a part of the King County Target Zero Task Force, a collaboration from stakeholders such as law enforcement, city/regional/state/tribal governments, community organizations, and schools to create equitable traffic safety programs that would reduce collisions, injuries, and fatalities across King County. It is also part of the city of Bellevue’s Vision Zero initiative, adopted in 2016, which aims to eliminate traffic deaths and serious-injury collisions on city streets by 2030. Educating people driving on the danger of driving under the influence and enforcing traffic laws are part of Bellevue’s Safe System approach to road safety.
DUI and impaired-driving arrests are always preventable. The Bellevue Police Department urges residents to take advantage of many other options to ensure a safe ride home and a safe community – including taking public transit, ridesharing opportunities made available on smartphones, carpooling and vanpooling, walking, or calling a friend or family member.
Bellevue Beat Blog 