The Bellevue Police Department announced today the agency would begin conducting a speeding emphasis across the city following a crash on Friday, May 2 which killed an 18-year-old individual.
Starting each weekend and running through the month, Bellevue Police’s Traffic Unit will have dedicated officers that will focus squarely on reducing speeding incidents and events that encourage street racing in the city. This city-wide effort aims to address concerns from many community members who have contacted law enforcement about speeding incidents they’ve witnessed or heard in their neighborhoods.
Bellevue Police officers will issue tickets to motorists who are speeding or driving a vehicle with a modified muffler – which increases the noise of the vehicle. Motorists who are driving recklessly or racing other vehicles may be arrested or criminally cited for these dangerous actions on the roadway.
The Bellevue Police Department has already begun to address the community’s speeding concerns. Compared to last year, the agency has seen a 163% increase in citations for speeding infractions across the city – issuing 998 speeding tickets so far from January to April 2025. 380 speeding tickets were issued from January to April 2024.
Speeding is not only dangerous for the driver, but it also jeopardizes the safety of everyone. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates it takes a vehicle traveling at over 60 mph about 100 yards – the length of a football field from goal line to goal line – to reach a complete stop. The distance dramatically increases to about 460 feet if vehicle speeds exceed 80 mph.
According to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, there have been about 1,728 speeding-related fatal crashes in the state since 2014. This includes about 353 speeding-related fatal crashes in King County during that time frame and 42 speeding-related fatal and serious injury crashes in Bellevue from 2014-2023. A 2024 survey by the Commission also found that only about 29% of all drivers reported to have never driven more than 10 mph over the speed limit.
Bellevue Police ask community members to continue to report speeding, reckless driving, participating in street racing, or vehicles traveling with a modified muffler by calling either the non-emergency line (425-577-5656) or emailing bellevuepd@bellevuewa.gov. Community members should provide the make, model, color of vehicle and license plate number when reporting infractions to law enforcement.
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