SLOW DOWN! WSP Conducting Speed Emphasis Patrol THIS Weekend...

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Slow down this weekend! To emphasize the importance of safe driving, Washington State Patrol is working with the Western States Traffic Safety Coalition in a speed education and enforcement initiative Friday through Sunday. Those particular dates were chosen to help prevent risky driving behaviors leading into the 4th of July holiday.

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Observing and following the speed limit should always be enforced. However, as we head into the Summer season and pandemic restrictions are starting to ease up, there are more drivers and vehicles on the road. Excessive speed is the most common reason for collisions.

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In a WSP press release issued Wednesday,

“Beautiful weather and summer holidays often bring greater traffic volumes. We expect this year to see significant pent-up demand to get out and get back to our pre-pandemic lifestyles” said John R. Batiste, Chief of the Washington State Patrol. “WSP and our partners in 11 other western states want you to know we are here to help you and your family stay safe this summer. That means there are at least twelve great reasons to slow down, to never drive distracted, and to never drive impaired in the coming summer travel. We are serious about your safety.”

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In 2020, WSP Officers issued over 313,000 speeding citations. WSP also responded to approximately 35,000 vehicle collisions. Speed is responsible for more than 25% of vehicular deaths nationwide.

The Western States Traffic Safety Coalition was formed in 2019 to address the issues of impaired driving, aggressive and distracted driving, and failing to wear seat belts.

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.