Washington gets a ‘green’ light on highway safety
Jan 15, 2013, 6:38 AM | Updated: 6:56 am
Washington is one of only 14 states to get a "green" rating from the organization for our tough laws on safe driving. (AP Photo/File)
(AP Photo/File)
After years of declines, highway deaths during the first nine months of 2012 rose by more than seven percent. It was the biggest jump in 37 years according to the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.
“We have a traffic safety epidemic in every single state,” says the group’s President Jackie Gillan.
But Washington is doing better than most. We were one of only 14 states to get a “green” rating from the organization for our tough laws on safe driving. Six states were given a rating of “red,” meaning they have made little effort to add important road safety measures.
“The difference is attributed to the lack of political leadership,” Gillan says.
The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety tried to put a price tag on car crashes across the country. They say it’s right around $230 billion.
“The cost of not acting is affecting families and affecting our state budgets,” says Gillan.
While Washington scored on the higher side, there are still a couple of areas they would like to see improvement. The group recommends adding a nighttime restriction for new drivers and raising the age for a learner’s permit from 15 to 16.
