We deserve traffic safety for all: Pass HB 1513, SB 5572
This bill would have police focus on enforcing traffic laws that affect our safety on the roads, rather than pulling people over for things like expired tabs. This would increase safety on our roads and reduce racial disparity in traffic stops.
WCPA Family Member Stories
On June 24, 2017, Giovonn Joseph McDade, 20, was killed by Kent police. Police attempted a traffic stop for expired tabs, followed Giovonn, and shot him through his car window.
His mother, Sonia Joseph, who is WCPA’s Board president, worked on I-940, and sits on the Washington Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) board, says, “We want our sons and daughters to know they will be treated fairly if they encounter police.”
On March 7, 2019, Carlos Hunter, 43, was brutally killed by police after a traffic stop escalated. Police found no evidence of a crime in their subsequent search of his home or car.
His sister, Nickeia Hunter, who is a WCPA Board member, says, “We have to limit officers’ ability to engage in traffic stops that do not further safety, but expose people to harm.”
Currently, when police pull over drivers for “non-safety violations” like a broken taillight, Black, Latino, and Pacific Islander drivers are twice as likely to be searched, and Native Americans five times more likely.* Stops like this have, at their worst, escalated to violent and even deadly encounters, putting everyone at risk.
This bill would reduce needless encounters between drivers and officers, ensuring we can all get home safe.
Why we need HB 1513, SB 5572
The current approach is not working: non-safety-related stops aren’t effective,** include significant racial disparities, and can have negative effects on individuals and communities. When police departments focus efforts on safety stops for dangerous driving, we can promote traffic safety and reduce accidents and fatalities on the road.
What’s in HB 1513, SB 5572?
HB 1513, SB 5572 removes the burden of police stopping drivers for non-safety related reasons, including expired tabs, a broken taillight or headlight, and other equipment violations that are not actual dangers on the road.
This frees officers to focus on more serious violations such as drunk, distracted, and reckless drivers, which are the greatest threats to road safety.
Officers will still enforce all traffic violations under HB 1513, SB 5572 but non-safety stops will not be the primary reason a driver is pulled over.
*According to InvestigateWest, in a study of more than 21,000 lowrisk stops made by Washington State Patrol between 2009 and 2015.
** Out of more than 11 million traffic stops made by Washington State Patrol between 2009 and 2019, only 0.27 percent resulted in the discovery of contraband.
Additional data from our partners at ACLU-WA can be found at https://www.aclu-wa.org/docs/fact-sheet-traffic-safety-all-hb-1513