WSP to target trouble spots in effort to save lives

SEATTLE -- Washington State Patrol has identified a number of areas throughout the Puget Sound area where it is seeing a number of fatal and severe injury accidents so patrols will increase and troopers hope accidents will screech to a halt.

Troopers say they have located a number of TEA zones. TEA stands for Traffic Enforcement Areas.

WSP says staff members analyzed five years of crash and 911 call data. According to troopers, they noticed many coincidences on the locations of fatal and severe collisions and 911 calls. These TEA zones will have an increased presence of troopers.

WSP says the TEA zones also change with the time of day and the seasons. WSP says it has a limited amount of resources and this data gives them a chance to use their troopers in the best place possible.

Sergeant Donovan Daly said, "We could use a lot more troopers. Our hope is to be able to educate these troopers on where to work and encourage them to work those areas and then see what comes out of it."

Sgt. Daly says this could limit the number of fatal accidents they see.

"I can vividly remember holding a lady that was trapped in her car and there was nothing we could do and holding her very last heart beat and that’s stuff that sticks with you for a very long time," Daly said.

To find out where the TEA zones are, visit this site and click on the link to the pdf near the bottom labeled 'Target Enforcement Area Maps'