OLYMPIA—Sen. Nikki Torres has advanced Senate Bill 6066 to give local governments and the Washington State Department of Transportation a new tool to address roadways with a high number of serious and fatal crashes by establishing temporary “crash prevention zones” focused on safety improvements.
“This is not a bill I wanted to introduce, but my community has suffered far too many losses on U.S. 395,” Torres, R-Pasco, said. “We have to address this head-on, and I hope this legislation is a step in the right direction. People in our community are begging for a solution, and they deserve action.”
SB 6066 allows counties, cities, towns, or WSDOT to designate crash prevention zones on public roads where a pattern of collisions has emerged. Once a zone is established, the responsible jurisdiction must conduct an engineering and traffic investigation, coordinate enhanced enforcement with law enforcement, and implement targeted safety improvements. The bill also authorizes doubled penalties for certain traffic infractions within a zone, when clearly posted, with a portion of those funds dedicated to fixing the dangerous roadway.
“This bill is about prevention,” Torres said. “When a road becomes a repeat crash site, the public deserves a clear plan to fix it, not another tragic headline.”
Crash prevention zones would be temporary and must be dissolved once safety improvements are completed. Zones could also be ended earlier at the discretion of the jurisdiction that created them, on WSDOT’s recommendation, or through a petition process involving local property owners, residents, or businesses.
“SB 6066 gives local communities and WSDOT a practical tool to identify high-risk stretches of roadway, coordinate enforcement, and fund real safety improvements,” Torres said. “A crash prevention zone is a commonsense approach: study the problem, slow dangerous behavior, and reinvest the proceeds into making that corridor safer.”
Torres added that the state has a responsibility to act decisively when crash patterns are clear.
“If we know where collisions keep happening, we should treat those areas like the urgent safety priorities they are and respond with engineering, enforcement, and accountability,” she said.
SB 6066 was heard in the Senate Local Government Committee on Jan. 15 and was approved unanimously in executive session on Jan. 22. The bill now advances to the Senate Transportation Committee.
The 60-day 2026 legislative session began Monday, Jan. 12, and will conclude March 12.
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