Drivers warned to slow down, stay sober

Local and state agencies are warning Clark County drivers to slow down and stay sober as the summer driving season begins — the deadliest stretch of the year. Traffic safety officials call June, July and August the “90 Dangerous Days” because fatalities spike sharply during these months. State records show a grim reality for summer travel. Of the 1,584 traffic fatalities that occurred statewide in the months of June, July, and August from 2018-2025, 851 (or 54 percent) involved an impaired driver, Washington State Patrol Sgt. Jermaine Walker said in an email. Inexperienced drivers also increase road risks during the summer. Data from AAA shows that from 2015-2024 crash fatalities involving young motorists reached 7,805 across the country during the summer months. Almost one-third of all fatal crashes involving teenagers happen between Memorial Day and Labor Day, a period the organization labels the “100 Deadliest Days.” Summer also brings construction season and with it a higher risk of work zone crashes. To combat these trends, Clark County Public Works, Vancouver Public Works, the Washington State Department of Transportation, the Washington State Patrol and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office are launching a joint safety campaign. The agencies hosted a press conference at the Clark County Public Works 78th Street Operations Center to promote safe driving in work zones. Clark County ranks fourth among all Washington counties for work zone crashes, averaging about 80 each year, according to data from Clark County Public Works. Distracted driving, speeding and driver impatience cause most of these crashes. Clark County sheriff’s Detective Patrick Spak with the traffic homicide unit said at one point or another, we have all sped. “You’ve done it. I’ve done it. We speed to get to work because we’re late or we have an appointment,” Spak said. “But when you do so you’re putting your needs above others in that moment.” Ryan Lopossa, transportation engineering manager for the city of Vancouver, said the good news is that work zone crashes and fatality trends are going down nationwide. There were 963 fatalities in 2023 compared with 850 in 2024. “That equates to an average of two people who are killed every day in work zones,” Lopossa said of the 2024 data. “By the end of today, another two people will die in a work zone-related crash.” Distracted drivers contributed to more than one-eighth of those fatal crashes, he said. In Vancouver, there were two fatalities last year in a work zone. An active work zone on Northeast 137th Avenue in east Vancouver blocked the sidewalks, forcing pedestrians to walk next to the curb. On Sept. 17, Jose Enrique Quevedo, 28, walked alongside the street, from Northeast 63rd Street toward 64th Circle, with his 6-year-old son, Joshua, who had just stepped off his school bus. Vancouver police said James Paulson, 73, grew impatient with crawling traffic and used 63rd as a passing lane to bypass the slow-moving cars. Paulson’s pickup struck the father and son as he re-entered the travel lane. The vehicle dragged Quevedo 100 feet. He died at the scene. The impact threw Joshua 60 feet into a ditch, and the child died days later at Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland. Witnesses told police that prior to the crash, Paulson was driving aggressively. Paulson is facing two counts of vehicular homicide, one count of reckless driving and one count of driving under the influence in Clark County Superior Court. He has yet to be formally arraigned because he’s been undergoing competency restoration services. A review hearing is scheduled June 25. “All these people have loved ones: mothers, fathers, brothers, friends,” said Paul Lodholz with WSDOT. “They deserve to go home safe.” Sarah Bartol, a construction inspector with Clark County Public Works, recalled an incident from last summer on Northwest 99th Street. “A young worker on the crew was moving a saw cutting machine to the other side of the road. He was standing on the sidewalk with the machine in the bike lane when a minivan with a driver on their cellphone struck the worker head-on, pinning him to the machine and tossing him down the road more than 20 feet,” Bartol said. “And standing there looking at the aftermath, it really hit me that this could have easily been his life lost.” To prevent further tragedies, law enforcement agencies will increase patrols this summer. Officials urge drivers to plan routes ahead of time, put away cellphones, remain patient during delays and never drive under the influence. State law also doubles traffic fines in all work zones to deter reckless behavior. Lodholz invited a different perspective for driving safe as well. “We live in one of the most beautiful states in the country,” Lodholz said. “Slow down and enjoy the sights. You can do your part by just enjoying the view.”

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