In an effort to improve the safety of Lynnwood roadways, Lynnwood police will be partnering with the Snohomish County Target Zero Task Force to conduct extra emphasis patrols on distracted driving and pedestrian/cyclist safety in coming weeks.

The pedestrian safety emphasis will run between March 17-28. Emphasis on distracted driving will be between March 28-April 14, and will be focused primarily in the area of 196th Street Southwest and 36th Avenue West:

In 2018, Lynnwood police officers responded to more than 1,400 collisions in the city, which resulted in more than 250 injuries. Forty-four pedestrians/cyclists were injured last year as the result of collisions, including one pedestrian who was killed. Distracted driving and/or inattentiveness was determined as the primary contributing factor in the vast majority of these collisions, police said.

Police noted that reportedly, nearly one-third of all U.S. drivers 18-64 years old read or send text or email messages while driving. Reading or sending text messages while driving and other distracted driving behaviors lead to more than 420,000 injuries and more than 3,100 deaths every year in the United States.

Research continues to demonstrate the dangers of driving while using a cellphone and texting. Studies have shown the overall crash risk increases 3.6 times when a driver interacts with a handheld devices.

“We ask those who travel through our city to remain attentive while driving, put down their phones and electronic devices and slow down,” Commander Sean Doty said in a letter to the community announcing the emphasis patrols. “Our motorcycle officers will be out in designated areas, enforcing violations and educating the motoring public. We ask our driving community to partner with us in reducing collisions this year, as we seek to make Lynnwood a safe and welcoming city.”