How Are We Driving?

— by Lin McNulty —

Last November after we ran a Question of the Week poll regarding on-island driving habits, we became curious about how the reality might compare to our poll results.

Our query was: “Do you abide by on-island speed limits?” with the following results:

• Yes, faithfully: 32%
• Usually: 45%
• Sometimes: 16%
• Nah, not really: 6%

TRAFFIC STOPS IN SAN JUAN COUNTY, 2013

What’s the difference between a traffic infraction and a criminal traffic offense? The Public Law Library of King County offers the following definitions:

Traffic violations fall into two categories, traffic infractions and criminal traffic offenses. Traffic infractions are “non-criminal offense[s] for which imprisonment may not be imposed as a sanction.” (RCW 46.63.060.) Criminal traffic offenses, which carry the possibility of imprisonment, are defined at RCW 46.63.020. They include, among others, driving under the influence, reckless or negligent driving, and vehicular assault. If an offense is not listed at RCW 46.63.020, it is a traffic infraction.

So, here’s what I have extrapolated from the above numbers, assuming a county population of 15,500 (not counting visitors and tourists, of course):

• 19 percent of the population was pulled over by a Sheriff’s Deputy (correlating almost directly with 18% of our poll respondents owning up to not always obeying speed limits);
• 18 percent of those stopped in the last calendar year either received a citation or committed an infraction.
• 3 percent of our island population received a citation;
• A mere .6 percent of our island population was arrested for an infraction.

This informal study is in no way scientific. If anything is to be learned or gained from this information, it is to watch your speeds (although, obviously there are other things for which a driver might be pulled over).