WA State Patrol warns drivers against blocking roads for protests, street races
Sep 14, 2020, 10:55 AM | Updated: 11:06 am
Parked cars blocked the Fremont Bridge briefly during a protest last week. (SDOT)
(SDOT)
Washington State Patrol — along with several local agencies — has been conducting an enforcement emphasis on groups of people who block roadways and parking lots with parked cars.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Rick Johnson said this can be a tactic of people who want to take part in illegal street racing, noting that this has been going on for years all over the Puget Sound.
“There have been individuals who gather together and either go out in parking lots and freeways … they want to get together and do doughnuts in the parking lots or in the freeways, and do their racing thing,” he said.
Over the Labor Day weekend, troopers broke up a blockage of about 100 cars on Highway 167, and also arrested eight people for reckless driving.
Washington State Patrol arrests 9 protesters for blocking I-5 in Seattle
And it’s not just racers — the City of Seattle has seen road blockages on I-5 and the Fremont Bridge recently due to protests using the parked car tactic.
Racing on a roadway can get you charged with reckless driving, and blocking a roadway can get you a disorderly conduct charge. Both are misdemeanors that can result in jail time.
Johnson said blocking a major thoroughfare with parked cars is extremely dangerous because it can cause accidents, block access for emergency vehicles, and lead to road rage incidents.
The message to drivers is, even though those doing the blocking are in the wrong, drivers should always be on the lookout for blockages and be prepared to brake when driving down the freeway. Never let that audio-book or podcast stop you from noticing something amiss in the distance.
“No matter what time of day or what you may be expecting, be looking far enough ahead and also expect — obviously you can’t anticipate hazards like this — but we just want people to stay alert, not be distracted,” Johnson said.
If you become stuck behind a blockage like this, do not panic, but also “do not engage in any way” with the people blocking the road, Johnson said.
If it is safe to drive through the blockage, he said you can go ahead and do so — but Johnson noted that it probably will not be possible, as the whole point of these activities is to completely take over the roadway.
“If you see something like this, call 911 and let us know,” he advised. “Any other information that you have or see that identifies plates or whatever, that’s what we’re looking to gather.”
