March 13, 2020
BREMERTON – The Washington State Patrol (WSP), Bremerton Police Department (BPD), Port Orchard Police Department (POPD) and the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) teamed up March 12, 2020, to reduce serious injury and fatality collisions during a fourth “High Visibility Enforcement” (HIVE) patrol.
The day long HIVE patrol was held on state Route 16 near Gorst and state Route 160 (Sedgwick Road) in Port Orchard, with focused efforts during peak collision times. One such peak collision time between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. resulted in:
- More than 125 total traffic stops.
- 50 percent of the traffic stops conducted were for excessive speed, several of which were for drivers traveling 20 miles per hour (mph) or more over the posted speed limit.
HIVE patrol locations and times are dictated by data collected by the WSP. Collision data collected over the past six years identifies the five-mile radius near Gorst as a high volume area, accounting for nearly 35 percent of collisions investigated by WSP troopers in Kitsap County. Twenty-five percent of collisions reported in that area result in injuries, serious injuries or fatalities.
HIVE patrols utilize an all crimes approach, with a focus on collision causing violations including speed, following distance, impaired driving, distracted driving and aggressive driving behaviors.
The goal is to conduct 24 HIVE patrols throughout Kitsap County by the end of 2020. Future scheduled HIVE patrols include: March 26 (state Route 3), April 9 (state Route 303 and state Route 304) and April 23 (state Route 160 and state Route 16).
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