Deadly crashes are at an all-time high in Washington. Here’s how Bellingham is responding

Deadly car crashes fell by half in Bellingham last year, returning to pre-pandemic levels after a two-year spike as city officials begged drivers to back off the gas pedal.

Four people died in crashes within Bellingham city limits last year, down from eight traffic deaths in 2022 and nine in 2021, according to data from the Washington State Department of Transportation, which collects reports from police agencies statewide.

Overall there were more than 200 fewer crashes last year in Bellingham, as the total dropped from 1,136 in 2022 to 902 in 2023 — a 10-year low. WSDOT’s data system includes crashes on Interstate 5 and state highways such as Meridian Street (State Route 539) within the city limits.

Taking Interstate 5 out of the mix and considering only city streets, Bellingham had 527 total crashes, down from 709 in 2022 — also a 10-year low.

Two pedestrians and no bicyclists were killed by cars in 2023, which also saw a 10-year low in crashes involving people on foot or riding bikes. There were 23 such crashes last year as part of a steady annual decline after a high of 76 total bike and pedestrian crashes in 2017.

Joel Pfundt, assistant director of the Bellingham Public Work’s Department’s Transportation Division, welcomed the new data in a phone interview last month with other Public Works staff members.

“I think we’re seeing things kind of normalize a bit, but we’re definitely focused on what we can do to improve safety, especially for our most vulnerable users — bicyclists and pedestrians,” Pfundt said.

Bellingham’s lower fatality rate is in contrast to state and nationwide trends, with more people than ever dying in traffic accidents as people drive faster and automakers build bigger and heavier trucks and SUVs.

The death toll on roads statewide in 2023 topped a 30-year high set last year, according to WSDOT. Whatcom County crash statistics remained mostly flat, reflecting a three-year trend.

Bellingham Public Works Director Eric Johnston told The Herald that recent citywide emphasis on adding protected bike lanes and crosswalks helps to slow the average speed of cars, which can reduce crashes and crash severity.

Investing in safety

Former Mayor Seth Fleetwood made traffic safety a priority from 2020 to 2024, and Public Works has hired three new staff members in its Traffic Division, Johnston said.

“We’re investing heavily (in traffic safety) by implementing the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan,” he said.

Bellingham will be examining the speed of cars and speed limits on city streets this year as part of a three-pronged effort that includes data collection, public education and law enforcement, Johnston said.

On the enforcement side, Johnston said that one possible new measure could be speed cameras in school zones, a step that would require City Council action. Bellingham voters rejected red-light cameras in a 2011 ballot initiative that had 68% of the vote, but speed cameras are allowed by law in school zones, at railroad crossings and at major intersections.

Fewer speeding tickets

Speeding tickets have been declining in recent years, according to Bellingham Municipal Court data provided by Bellingham Police.

A total of 203 tickets was issued in 2017, 511 tickets in 2018, 315 in 2019, 137 in 2020, 63 in 2021 and 36 in 2022, the last full year that data was available.

Bellingham Police disbanded its Traffic Division in 2021 because of a staffing shortage and hasn’t reinstated it.

“Even without a Traffic Division, the Bellingham Police Department does traffic enforcement. (But) my job would be much easier if everyone in town drove 10 mph slower,” Johnston said.

In City Council meetings and in Herald interviews over the past few years, Fleetwood and Johnston have repeatedly urged drivers to slow down.

Whatcom County efforts

Even as deadly crashes in just the city of Bellingham declined last year, traffic fatalities rose slightly in Whatcom County as a whole, according to WSDOT.

At total of 18 people died last year in crashes on roads of all types across Whatcom County, from city streets to Interstate 5.

Total crashes in Whatcom County also hit a 10-year low, dropping from 2,657 in 2022 to 1,949 in 2023.

Two pedestrians were killed among 48 total crashes involving people walking and cycling in 2023, a sharp decline from the eight pedestrian deaths in 65 total crashes in 2022 — also a 10-year low.

New source of funds

Hugh Conroy, director of the Whatcom Council of Governments, recently told The Herald that a federal grant of $200,000 received last year will go toward a $250,000 project for new safety programs focusing on schools and neighborhood groups.

”We’re excited about getting involved. It will be a whole new level of community outreach than we’ve been able to afford,” Conroy said in a March 2023 interview, when statewide funding of $5.4 million was announced by 2nd District U.S. Rep Rick Larsen, D-Everett.

That money was part of an $800 million package budgeted for the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Safer Streets and Roads for All program, which was part of President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure measure.

Called “SS4A,” it invests $5 billion over five years in regional, local and tribal initiatives to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.

First the Council of Governments needs current data to work with, especially information on crashes that involve underserved communities such as people of color.

“We’re making sure that we have a good built database of a full 10 years so that we can identify the type of contributing factors and learn some more about the communities that may be disproportionally affected by (traffic collisions),” Conroy told The Herald in a phone interview last week.

“The trend for fatal crashes is still going up, and that is frustrating. Clearly, what we’re doing now is not making enough of a difference,” he said.

WSDOT efforts

Statewide, 772 people were killed in crashes last year, up from 745 people in 2022 — the most in three decades.

Total crashes, however, fell to a 10-year low of 78,116, which was down from 103,315 total crashes in 2022. That means there were far fewer crashes, but many more deadly ones.

That data was “surprising,” WSDOT’s Clay Peterman told The Herald.

“We hoped that based on safety improvements we have made, we would be making a bigger impact,” Peterman said.

Peterman, a member of WSDOT’s Transportation Operations HQ Program Development and Performance team, said that speeding and drug and alcohol use are key factors in the rising death toll.

“This isn’t something that’s unique to Washington. Personally and anecdotally, it does feel like people are driving differently than they did a few years ago, but there’s no data on that,” he said.