Washington is one of six states to receive a top rating by an auto advocacy group aimed at optimal laws for cutting down on traffic collisions. But Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety says the state still has some work to do.
Car crashes cost Washington state nearly $4.5 billion per year, according to the group's latest report. There were 537 fatalities on Washington state roads in 2016. The number of fatalities over a ten-year period reached 4,940.
Washington state's Target Zero program aims at no fatalities or serious injuries on Washington's roads by 2030.
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety says Washington needs to add the following laws to cut down on fatalities and costs:
- Rear-facing car seats through age 2 (The News Tribune reported last August that a bill intended to make this the law failed in the Legislature)
- Minimum age 16 for a learner's permit
- Graduated driver's license with nighttime restrictions -- no driving between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
- Graduated driver's license with restrictions on how many passengers can be in the car
- No unrestricted license until age 18
