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.

When those paths become predictable sites of tragedy, government has a responsibility to act.

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. Since 2021, more than 250 crashes have occurred in this corridor, according to Washington State Patrol data cited in Senate Transportation Committee testimony. Eighty-one resulted in injuries, nine of them serious. One of the recent fatal crashes claimed both a mother and her daughter.

These are not just numbers. They represent families forever changed and a community asking why this keeps happening.

U.S. 395 is a high-speed corridor, with a posted speed limit of 70 miles per hour. In reality, vehicles traveling north and south are often moving 10 miles per hour or more above that limit. Drivers attempting to cross east or west must stop and navigate four lanes of fast-moving traffic. As our region has grown, traffic volumes have increased. More homes, more businesses, more drivers — but the same dangerous crossing conditions.

When serious crashes continue in the same location, we cannot accept it as the cost of growth. That is why I introduced Senate Bill 6066.

SB 6066 establishes crash prevention zones, a focused framework for addressing roadways where serious injury and fatal crashes are occurring at higher-than-expected rates.

For the portion of U.S. 395 between Pasco and Mesa, the bill allows a crash prevention zone to be created immediately. That means we can direct attention and resources to this corridor now instead of waiting for a major construction project or another tragic headline.

Once a zone is designated, the jurisdiction responsible must conduct a formal engineering and traffic investigation. That requires a detailed review of the roadway and the conditions contributing to collisions. It may lead to speed limit adjustments, improved signage and lighting, lane modifications, or preparation for longer-term solutions such as roundabouts or grade-separated crossings.

The bill also requires coordination with the Washington State Patrol and local law enforcement, within existing resources, to increase traffic enforcement in the zone. A visible patrol presence makes a difference. When drivers know enforcement is active, speeds drop and attention improves.

SB 6066 allows local jurisdictions to use automated traffic safety cameras within designated crash prevention zones, subject to existing state safeguards. Those safeguards require public notice, clear signage, and an equity analysis before cameras are installed. Revenue must first cover administrative costs, and any remaining funds must be reinvested directly into safety improvements within that specific zone.

The legislation also doubles the penalty for unlawful use of a personal electronic device while driving within a crash prevention zone. Distracted driving continues to contribute to serious crashes. In a corridor where lives are at risk, drivers must understand that unsafe behavior carries consequences.

Crash prevention zones are temporary. They must be dissolved once safety improvements are completed. This is a targeted response to a documented safety problem.

I have met with families who have lost loved ones on this stretch of U.S. 395. Their stories make clear what the data already shows: many of these crashes could have been prevented. Ignoring that pattern is not an option.

Some argue that every road carries risk, or that this issue should be handled solely at the local level. But when a state highway shows a sustained pattern of serious injury and fatal crashes, it demands a coordinated response. SB 6066 brings state and local partners together under a clear framework with defined responsibilities.

The bill has passed both the Senate Local Government and the Senate Transportation committees and now sits in the Senate Rules Committee. I hope it will soon be brought to the Senate floor for a vote.

We cannot change what has already happened. But we can reduce the likelihood of it happening again. That is why I am asking community members to continue making their voices heard and to stand behind this effort. Preventing the next tragedy is within our reach — but only if we act with urgency.

Lower speeds in high-risk areas, increased patrol presence, thorough engineering review, and reinvestment in targeted safety improvements are practical steps we can take right now. They do not require waiting years for a large infrastructure package. They require the will to move forward.

Every life saved on U.S. 395 means a family spared unimaginable loss. Every serious injury prevented means someone returns home safely at the end of the day.

Crash prevention zones offer a practical path forward. Now we need to put that plan into action.

Sen. Nikki Torres, R-Pasco, represents the 15th Legislative District and serves as ranking member on the Senate Local Government Committee.