The Bellevue Police Department on Friday will formally launch the annual “100 Safe Days of Summer” campaign at Bellevue City Hall to bring awareness of impaired and distracted driving-related road incidents that occur across Bellevue and Washington State.
The emphasis will run Friday and Saturday and will occur as the city is experiencing a three-year upward trend of DUI-related incidents. From January to May 2026, there were 141 impaired incidents compared to 127 during the same period in 2025, an 11-percent spike. For the same time period in 2024, just 99 DUI incidents occurred.
“Bellevue Police have a zero tolerance for impaired driving because driving under the influence is a safety risk for the entire community,” said Wendell Shirley, Bellevue Police Chief. “If you are found to be driving impaired, you will be arrested.”
As a continuing partner of the King County Target Zero Task Force, Bellevue Police will host a regional briefing with participating agencies at Bellevue City Hall at 7:00 p.m. Media wishing to attend must RSVP with Public Information Officer Drew Anderson at daanderson@bellevuewa.gov.
WHAT: “100 Safe Days of Summer” Regional Briefing
WHO: Bellevue Police Department, King County Target Zero Task Force
WHEN: Friday, June 12 at 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Bellevue City Hall (450 110th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004)
The Bellevue Police Department is also a 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. Enforcing traffic laws and educating community members about the dangers of distracted and impaired driving are part of agency’s efforts to keep the city a safe place to live, work, and visit. This includes young drivers, and recently, both Bellevue Police and Fire held a distracted/impaired driving demonstration at a local high school.
The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is especially hazardous for young drivers. Over 13,135 traffic fatalities have been linked to teen drivers between 2019-2023, with over 30-percent of those crashes occurring during the summer months. The King County Target Zero Task Force is teaming up to raise awareness about the risks of teen driving and agencies like the Bellevue Police Department are urging parents to:
- Discuss dangers like speeding, distractions, impaired driving, and nighttime driving.
- Set clear rules through a parent-teen driving agreement.
- Plan for emergencies if a teen feels unsafe or impaired.
- Lead by example with safe driving habits.
The Bellevue Police Department also urges all community members to take advantage of many other options to ensure a safe and sober ride home. This includes utilizing the city’s BellHop shuttle services, Sound Transit’s 2 Line or other public transit, ridesharing opportunities available on smartphones, carpooling and vanpooling, walking, or calling a friend or family member.
Bellevue Beat Blog 