King County Launches Traffic Campaign Focused on Increasing Corridor Safety

New program will focus on dangerous driving behaviors highlighted in latest study

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The King County Target Zero Coalition has introduced a new traffic safety project seeking to reduce injuries and deaths along a 11-mile corridor that has seen a number of recent crashes caused by speed and impairment. The corridor runs along 140th Avenue SE/132nd Avenue SE through Renton, Kent, Auburn, and unincorporated King County, beginning at the intersection with SR 169 (north point), passing SR 516 (mid-point) and ending just before SR 18 interchange.

This stretch of road has been identified as a potential area for safety improvements in the latest study by Michelin Mobility Intelligence and the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC).

“This program was developed in response to widespread public engagement following a number of tragic, fatal, high-speed crashes along this corridor,” said Sara Hallstead, Target Zero Manager, South King County. “By working with our partners and community members and using data from our new study, we were able to pinpoint specific driving behaviors that are leading to crashes and address them using a Safe System approach.”

The project uses a combination of best practice recommendations from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Countermeasures That Work” and successes with previous corridor projects in Washington such as Lake City Way. To develop this campaign, King County Target Zero managers worked with jurisdictional partners from Renton, Kent, Auburn, and unincorporated King County, as well as community members who have been impacted by crashes along this corridor.

These community members include Michael and Shellie Coury, whose son Gabriel was killed along this corridor in July of 2023 by an impaired driver.

"Despite our personal tragedy with the loss of our son Gabriel, we are honored to partner with our community leaders and law enforcement to help make our streets safer,” said Michael Coury. “It brings our family a small sense of peace as we continue to honor Gabriel by making ourselves a part of these sorts of initiatives and improvements. No person or family should ever have to endure the type of loss we, and many others, have had to experience due to completely and totally avoidable circumstances."

In order to reach a vast array of community members, traffic safety officials are utilizing a number of new initiatives, including delivering the Teen Target Zero and Teens in the Driver Seat training programs to high schools located along the corridor; implementing the Safest Ride program to elementary schools, which focuses on young children riding in the back seat; conducting high visibility speed enforcement patrols; and purchasing signage and educational materials to educate drivers on the dangers of speed and the importance of traffic safety. WTSC will also assist in gathering driver telematics data to help better understand the driving issues along this roadway and highlight areas where the worst driving behaviors occur to better target intervention locations.

The King County Target Zero Coalition is hosting community engagement events so residents can learn more and provide feedback about the work being done along the corridor. The first of these events is scheduled for March 27.

For more information, please visit www.kingcountytargetzero.com.

About the King County Target Zero Coalition:

The King County Target Zero Coalition was formed by Public Health – Seattle & King County in 1998 through limited funding from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) and flexible state public health funding. It is currently supported through state-funded grants. Target Zero is a statewide program administered through the WTSC with the goal of reducing the number of serious injuries and fatalities, among those walking, rolling, driving, and traveling on Washington roadways, to zero by 2030. For additional information, you can follow our social media pages on Facebook or Instagram.