Traffic deaths have seen a stark increase since 2013
Ed.: The essays, analyses and opinions presented as Community Voices express the perspectives of their authors on topics of interest and importance to the community and are not intended to reflect perspectives on behalf of Salish Current.
In its 2024 report, the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission lays out a vision for zero roadway deaths, achieved through coordinated safety and transportation planning. That’s quite an ambitious goal, because the state’s own data shows we have a long way to go. From 2013 to 2023, Washington saw an 85% increase in traffic fatalities and a 78% increase in serious injuries.
The state’s plan to end deaths and serious injuries relies on two ideas. First, design the whole transportation system so mistakes don’t turn deadly. Second, make sure the plan is fair to everyone. To get there, the report says we have to contend with inequities in the risks some road users face compared to others.
For decades, race, ethnicity, language, legal status, income and wealth have determined which communities face greater risks and who benefits from greater protection. The report also asks us to think beyond individual crashes to trends and root causes, and it points to exposure as a key measure: more miles driven means more chances for a crash to happen at all.
The numbers make the case plainly here at home too. In Whatcom County alone, impairment played a role in 62% of traffic fatalities between 2021 and 2025. That’s 50 lives lost to crashes involving drivers who should never have been behind the wheel. Speeding was a factor in a third of deaths, distraction in a quarter, and lane departures contributed to 36%.
These aren’t abstract statistics. They’re the predictable result of a transportation system that offers most residents one option: drive, no matter their condition, judgment or age. Every one of these risk factors comes down to the same thing, a person, alone, in control of a vehicle.
Public transit won’t eliminate human error, but it reduces how often that error gets the chance to become fatal. Fewer vehicles on the road means fewer opportunities for impaired, distracted and speeding drivers to collide with someone else’s life.
The commission highlights the need for a culture of traffic safety, built on two essential components:
- road operators who are responsible for operating a safe system, and
- community members who use that system.
That got me thinking about our own community and the opportunity we have to build a culture of equity and safety into how we plan transportation. Thanks to a new law that took effect Jan. 1, 2026, transit agencies across the state can now add two community voices to their governing boards. One seat goes to someone who actually depends on the bus to get around. The other goes to someone representing a group that supports riders, like paratransit riders. Meetings even have to happen somewhere riders can get to by bus. Whatcom Transportation Authority is eligible to do this, but so far, it hasn’t.
If we want to see zero fatalities on our roadways, WTA needs to do its part to help create a culture of traffic safety by bringing onto the board the second essential element for a culture of traffic safety: community members who use the system, fixed round and paratransit riders of the WTA. Community members have experiential knowledge that can help shape policies that increase ridership. Increased ridership means more people choosing public transit, and therefore fewer cars on the road. Fewer cars means fewer traffic-related deaths and moves us one step closer to zero.
You can find current WTA board members and their contact information at ridewta.com/board-members or show up in person. The next board meeting is Thursday Sept. 3 at WTA’s Bellingham office.
—By Leah Wainman
Leah Wainman is an epidemiologist with an MPH and a BS in Public Health. Living in Bellingham, she serves on the Whatcom County Public Health Advisory Board and the board of the Whatcom County Dispute Resolution Center. A mom of two, Leah advocates for environmental justice and STEM education for underrepresented youth.