Multiple 911 calls started pouring in early this morning, yes, because of another wrong-way driver.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Rick Johnson reported a driver was spotted by motorists traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of SR 167 near South 180th Street in Renton.
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Wrong way. On a highway. At 2:28 in the morning. Guess why?
WSP Arrests Wrong-Way Driver on SR-167
Thankfully, a Target Zero Team (TZT) trooper located the vehicle quickly and made the stop before the situation turned tragic. Wrong-way drivers are one of the most dangerous situations troopers respond to. Speeds are high. Reaction time is short. And other drivers have almost no warning.
Even in the early morning hours, we know there is plenty of traffic because of all the calls that came into dispatch. It only takes one unsuspecting driver coming around a bend or cresting a hill who doesn’t see them until things go horribly wrong. Just like most wrong-way driver cases, they were arrested for DUI
The Bigger Picture of Impaired Driving
Police say that whenever you see a wrong-way driver, call 911 and not a non-emergency line. They explain that this situation rises to the level of immediate emergency, and every second matters. The quicker the police know about the driver, the faster they can find them and pull them over. Drivers who noticed and called the driver into dispatch likely prevented a serious crash and saved lives.
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Suppose you are planning to party and be out late. Call a ride, or stay put and hand over the keys until you are sober…