OLYMPIA — Legislation introduced by Sen. Nikki Torres to address dangerous crash hotspots on Washington roadways passed the House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support on Friday.
The House approved Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 6066 on March 6 by a 94–2 vote.
The measure creates what Torres calls “crash prevention zones,” a targeted approach for addressing roadways where serious injury and fatal crashes occur at higher-than-expected rates. The zones allow state and local officials to focus engineering reviews, enforcement, and safety improvements on specific corridors where crash patterns are well documented.
Torres, R-Pasco, introduced the bill after a series of deadly crashes along U.S. 395 between Pasco and Mesa.
“We depend on our roads every single day. They are the paths that carry our children to school, parents to work, grandparents to doctor’s appointments, and families home at the end of the day. When they work safely, we hardly think about them,” Torres said. “When those paths become predictable sites of tragedy, government has a responsibility to act.”
Under the legislation, local governments and the Washington State Department of Transportation may establish crash prevention zones in areas where data shows a pattern of serious or fatal collisions. Once a zone is created, the responsible jurisdiction must conduct an engineering and traffic investigation to identify safety improvements, which may include speed adjustments, improved signage or lighting, lane changes, or planning for long-term infrastructure upgrades.
The Washington State Patrol and local law enforcement agencies would also coordinate to increase traffic enforcement within designated zones, and automated traffic safety cameras could be used to detect speeding. Revenue generated from traffic cameras would be directed to local accounts dedicated to engineering studies, signage, and safety improvements within the crash prevention zone.
“On U.S. 395 between Pasco and Mesa, the data shows a troubling pattern. In the five years leading up to December 2025, 10 people lost their lives in the five-mile stretch between mileposts 23 and 30,” Torres continued. “These are not just numbers. They represent families forever changed and a community asking why this keeps happening.”
The bill also doubles the penalty for using a personal electronic device while driving within a crash prevention zone, reinforcing efforts to reduce distracted driving in high-risk areas.
“When serious crashes continue in the same location, we cannot accept it as the cost of growth,” Torres concluded. “Crash prevention zones give communities a practical framework to slow dangerous behavior, study the problem, and invest directly in making these corridors safer.”
Because the House adopted amendments, the bill will return to the Senate for concurrence before being sent to the governor’s desk for signature.
The 60-day 2026 legislative session is scheduled to conclude on March 12.
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