Deadly crashes on Western Washington roads are at their highest number in over 30 years and troopers say they are seeing more cases of aggressive driving.
The Washington State Patrol’s Aviation Unit, which works with troopers and other law enforcement on the ground, is preparing to expand its reach with a third plane equipped with HD and infrared lenses. The cameras allow troopers to track dangerous drivers in cases where patrol cars are not permitted to pursue.
KIRO 7′s Linzi Sheldon and photojournalist Jeff Ritter went up in the air with the WSP to see their detection and enforcement work in action.
“We’ve only been up in the air for a few minutes here and we already found a vehicle traveling 20 miles an hour over the posted speed limit,” Trooper Anson Statema said as they spotted a car going 80 miles an hour.
In the back, Trooper Nick Schureman can zoom in on vehicles and track their speed as Statema flies the plane.
Troopers also spotted a motorcycle popping wheelies on the highway, weaving, and splitting traffic. Schureman recorded his top speed at 145 miles an hour and helped troopers on the ground follow the motorcyclist safely and track him to a warehouse.