King County Drivers Can’t Stay on the Road This Week: Guess Why?

For some reason over the last 24 hours, King County drivers are having trouble staying on the road!

Message from the Washington State Patrol: Listen Up King County Drivers

The Washington State Patrol put out a plea to drivers in King County on their official X (formally Twitter) social media page. Rain has recently plagued the west coast of Washington and with it came slick roads. Trooper Rick Johnson, the Official Washington State Patrol District 2 Public Information Officer for King County, made the request for drivers to please slow down in the rain because the Washington State Patrol has had to respond to so many accidents this week. Honestly, this message is important to all of Washington State with rain expected in most corners by Wednesday.

#SlowDown is the Main Message

The biggest thing the Washington State Patrol wants drivers to focus on is to slow down, especially in rainy and slick conditions. The WSDOT website has some good tips on driving in heavy rain including that drivers should slow down, leave extra room between cars, turn on headlights, and turn cruise control off. Also, remember that the amount of water you encounter on the road dictates your driving response. Never drive through pools of standing water if you cannot tell the depth. The WSDOT graphic warns, "Six inches of water on the road is enough to knock a person down and stall most vehicles. One foot can make a driver lose control of their vehicle, and two feet of water is enough to sweep away most vehicles, including SUVs and trucks." If you hydroplane while driving over water, let off the gas and gently apply pressure to the brake while you steer through the skid. If driving a car without ABS, sightly pump the brakes and steer through the skid until you stop.