Washington is home to many points of interest: the Space Needle, Mount Rainier, Forks (the setting for the popular Twilight series of books and movies). It’s also home to the picturesque town of Winthrop, ranked one of the NMA’s “Worst Speed Trap Cities” in 2012. So, as we continue our tour of speed trap hot spots across the country, let’s see what motorists can expect as they take in the sights around Winthrop and the rest of the state.
This information comes from the NMA’s National Speed Trap Exchange (http://www.speedtrap.org/), a unique website that gives drivers an opportunity to report on and exchange comments about predatory speed traps they have encountered on their travels.
We encourage you to send a link to this blog to those you know who live or travel in Washington. Remember, an informed driver is a safer driver.
Five Highest Activity Speed Trap Locations
1. Winthrop: South end of Winthrop on Highway 20
714 Reports 98% Acknowledgement Rate*
“The town marshal sits with his radar on in his SUV facing directly at you as you approach from the south the right-angle turn to the right that leads to the bridge. You cannot identify his vehicle until you have already passed and look back.”
2. Bonney Lake: SR 410 east
61 Reports 98% Acknowledgement Rate
“Recently in particular: watch for WSP sitting down at the very end of the access drive to the new Honda dealership. They are inconspicuous because you don’t normally notice anyone there as you are driving on 410 – but they are clocking the highway, and if they hook someone going eastbound, they will shoot up the onramp for an easy catch.”
3. Lake Forest Park: 178th Street, between 35th Ave NE and 36th Ave NE
59 Reports 98% Acknowledgement Rate
“This is a school zone at the bottom of a very steep hill – 24th Avenue becomes 178th Street as you go east down the hill. It’s monitored by cameras, which will take a picture of your license plate and send you a ticket by mail if you break the speed limit of 20 MPH during school hours, and 25 MPH outside of school hours.”
4. Lynnwood: West 44th Avenue near SW 164th Street
58 Reports 98% Acknowledgement Rate
“Yes this is true speed trap. Don’t go over 30mph. I have seen 5 Motorcycle officers here before.”
5. Seattle: Aurora Ave. (Highway 99)
57 Reports 98% Acknowledgement Rate
“If you are driving on Aurora Ave. (Highway 99) South towards Seattle, you may encounter an officer in a squad car speed-gunning on your right right before the Woodland Park Zoo. So, if you are coming south on Aurora 99, you will pass Greenlake on your left and you will begin heading up that hill where the Woodland Park Zoo is on your right.”
Ten Washington Cities with Most Reported Speed Traps (for the Last Five Years)
Rank | City | Number of Speed Traps | Acknowledgement Rate |
1 | 91 | 85% | |
2 | 56 | 76% | |
3 | 54 | 88% | |
4 | 48 | 83% | |
5 | 47 | 86% | |
6 | 39 | 82% | |
7 | 37 | 83% | |
8 | 33 | 88% | |
9 | 32 | 86% | |
10 | 32 | 87% |
* Acknowledgement rate is the percentage of yes votes to total votes by motorists indicating whether the reported locations, in their opinions, are actually speed traps. Data are available at the links provided.
About The National Speed Trap Exchange
With the development of The National Speed Trap Exchange (http://www.speedtrap.org/) more than 10 years ago, the National Motorists Association pioneered the use of interactive media to alert motorists to potential speed trap activity in their communities. Since then the site has reported on nearly 80,000 speed traps throughout the United States and Canada.
