A common thread among motorists on North Olympic Peninsula highways may be assertive — not aggressive — driving, according to what area residents are telling the Washington State Patrol.
“I’m not trying to hurt you, you’re just in my way,” is how Trooper Glen Tyrrell, spokesman for State Patrol District 8, puts it.
The viewpoints are based on public feedback the State Patrol has received following a recent string of fatal collisions on the North Olympic Peninsula’s highways.
From Christmas Day through the end of January, nine people were killed in six separate crashes on U.S. Highway 101 and state Highways 112, 104 and 20 in Clallam and Jefferson counties.
One crash was likely caused by an icy road, another possibly involved alcohol, but the others appear to be the result of driver behavior, mostly with motorists failing to yield.
People can direct comments and suggestions for the State Patrol to Tyrrell at 360-405-6633, or to the Port Angeles State Patrol detachment at 360-417-1738.
Comments and suggestions for DOT can be directed to the Port Angeles maintenance and operations office at 360-457-2713, or to John Nisbet, traffic operations engineer for the Olympic Region, at 360-357-2670. More information is available at DOT’s Web site, www. wsdot.wa.gov.
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The rest of the story appears in Sunday’s Peninsula Daily News.
