On November 25, 2013, Washington State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste, California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joseph Farrow, and Oregon State Police Major Travis Hampton challenged drivers to “Arrive Alive” with zero fatalities on I-5 during the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. Motorists in Washington met this challenge with no traffic fatalities on I-5 during the holiday weekend.
“I want to thank all the drivers who made this challenge a success with their decisions to not drink and drive, or speed, and to wear their seat belts,” said Washington State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste. “We met our goal of no fatalities on I-5 here in Washington, but the sad news is we still had three traffic fatalities in other parts of the state over the Thanksgiving Weekend.”
Chief Batiste, Commissioner Farrow, and Major Hampton requested drivers follow four simple strategies during the holiday weekend to help keep the highways safer:
• Slow down
• Pack your patience
• Drive sober
• Buckle up
Not only did WSP have extra troopers out on I-5, there were extra troopers out statewide. Preliminary data shows the trooper’s efforts statewide were:
• 275 drivers arrested for DUI
• 8,677 drivers stopped for speeding
• 517 drivers stopped for seat belt violations
Oregon State Police also reported zero fatalities on I-5 and California Highway Patrol reported one fatality during the Thanksgiving Weekend I-5 Challenge.
The I-5 Challenge started on the evening of November 27, 2013, with state law enforcement officers from San Diego, California, through Oregon, and up to Bellingham, Washington, using a mix of education outreach and enforcement to get voluntary compliance of traffic laws. The Thanksgiving Holiday (6 p.m., Wednesday, November 27, to midnight, Sunday, December 1) is one of the busiest travel times of the year on our nation’s highways.
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