Deaths on Washington roads drop again after hitting a peak in 2023

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, May 19, 2026

In an encouraging sign for road safety, traffic deaths in Washington fell significantly for the second year in a row in 2025, according to state data released Tuesday.

Washington saw 659 people die in vehicle crashes in 2025, down from 809 in 2023 and 737 in 2024, according to the preliminary data from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. It amounts to a more than 10% reduction. The 2023 figure was the highest in Washington since 1990.

The counts remain well above pre-pandemic annual totals, which were consistently in the 500s.

“It is a relief to see fewer people killed in 2024 and 2025. But our goal is zero. One person killed is too many,” said Shelly Baldwin, the director of the traffic safety commission, in a press release.

The deaths appeared less likely to involve impairment, speeding or distracted driving than in 2024.

Of the 2025 deaths, 297, or 45%, reportedly involved impaired drivers, compared to 370, or 50%, in 2024. However, several dozen lab tests remain pending, so last year’s figure could rise. Alcohol is the most common source of impairment, found in 57% of impaired drivers, followed by cannabis, found in 22%, and methamphetamine, accounting for 8%.

Some state lawmakers have tried for years to lower Washington’s legal drunk-driving limit from 0.08% to 0.05%. The policy passed the Senate this year for the first time, but stalled in the House. Only Utah carries this standard. Legislators plan to try again in 2027.

Fatal crashes involving a speeding driver fell from 250 in 2024 to 189 last year. Similarly, 103 deaths involved a distracted driver, declining from 138 the year prior.

“The ‘fatal four’ high-risk behaviors — impairment, speed, distraction, and lack of seat belt use — are involved in most of our traffic fatalities,” Baldwin said. “As we approach the summer months, when we traditionally see traffic fatalities increase, I want to implore everyone on our roadways to drive sober, follow the speed limit, stay focused, and buckle up.”

While the vast majority of those who died were drivers or passengers, crashes killed 160 pedestrians and bicyclists last year, down from 170 in 2023. Motorcyclist deaths dropped from 113 to 103.

Still, one record was set in 2025. The number of adults aged 70 or older in fatal crashes hit a new peak at 112 in 2025, up five from 2024 and 22 from 2023.

Tucked in the state’s transportation budget this year, lawmakers directed the traffic safety commission to designate an “older driver safety awareness week,” and tasked the state Department of Licensing with creating a website with informational resources on aging and driving, along with an online self-assessment tool for older drivers. The awareness week will be Dec. 7-11, coinciding with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s version.

The budget also included a planned $100 million in state spending for 2029-2031 on road preservation that focuses specifically on improving safety in high-risk traffic corridors.

Last year, legislators approved measures to require innovative speed-limiting devices for habitual speeders, starting in 2029, and mandate driver’s education to get a license for those up to age 21, increased from the current 18.

Deadly crashes involving drivers aged 15 to 24 are dropping, from 183 in 2024 to 170 last year. Younger drivers tend to be involved in serious and fatal crashes more often than others.

Experts believe the COVID-19 pandemic fueled risk-taking that presented itself as speeding and impaired driving, while traffic enforcement declined during that time. Meanwhile, rules around alcohol sales were relaxed during COVID as a way to help businesses struggling due to lockdown protocols.

In the years since, traffic enforcement has rebounded, said Mark McKechnie, policy and communications director at the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. For example, high-visibility enforcement funded by the commission resulted in over 57,000 interactions between police and drivers on Washington roads in 2025, compared to roughly 31,500 in 2022 and nearly 47,000 in 2023. Citations also rose significantly.

Still, Washington ranks last in the nation in police staffing per capita, presenting an obstacle to increased traffic enforcement, McKechnie said.