State Patrol plans pre-Halloween emphasis patrol Oct. 23-26 in King County

Published 11:56 am Tuesday, October 22, 2013

The Washington State Patrol will conduct a pre-Halloween emphasis patrol through the “King County Metro Zone” Oct. 23-26.

The “Metro Zone” is the area on Interstate 5 between Ravenna (Seattle) and Interurban (Tukwila), according to a State Patrol media release. Troopers are anticipating several social functions that could increase the amount of impaired drivers in the Seattle area due to Halloween celebrations.

Last year’s Halloween patrol efforts saw an 81 percent increase in DUI arrests and a 60 percent increase in traffic stops compared to the year before. This helped in having no traffic collision fatalities in the area in 2012. The WSP wants to build on this momentum and help to prevent any serious injury or fatal collision this year.

The emphasis patrols will occur daily from noon to 4 a.m., using marked and unmarked patrol vehicles.