Target Zero is the State of Washington’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan. The goal of Target Zero is to eliminate traffic-related deaths by the year 2030. Partner agencies, which include the Seattle Police Department, plan to accomplish that goal by combining enforcement, engineering, education and emergency medical services.
Target Zero patrols are conducted on city streets, county roads, as well as on state and interstate highways. Although the teams’ daily focus is removing impaired drivers from the road, their success will be measured by a reduction in fatalities in the defined areas.
“The days when police officers would call a cab for an impaired driver are long over. If we catch you driving under the influence, we are going to arrest you,” said Lieutenant Clay Monson of the Seattle Police Department.
The Target Zero Teams plan their patrols based on objective data about highway deaths caused by impaired driving. Zones were defined throughout the tri-county area (King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties), and patrols are focused in those areas.