The Redmond Police Department (RPD) traffic unit is conducting directed enforcement during morning and afternoon commute hours on Avondale Road beginning this week through the end of the month.

Specifically, traffic officers are looking for cell phone and texting violations, failing to signal, unsafe lane changes, following too closely, speeding and failing to stop for school buses. Vehicles are not required to stop as long as one full lane separates the driver and a school bus when traveling in the opposite direction. It is never legal to pass a stopped school bus traveling in the same direction with its red lights flashing no matter how many lanes there are.

Traffic reader boards were placed at Avondale Road and 180th Avenue Northeast a week in advance, warning drivers to “Hang up and drive…Patrols start next week.” There were also signs placed at Novelty Hill Road and Avondale Road which read “Distracted driver enforcement next week.”

The City of Redmond has experienced an increase in rear-end collisions recently, many of which have no evidence of braking prior to impact. Out of the 750 collisions in Redmond last year, 40 percent were rear-enders, far higher than the national average which is closer to 30 percent.