From Aug. 17 – Sept. 3, law enforcement agencies in King County are deploying emphasis patrols to keep drivers safe during what is typically the deadliest time of the year on the state’s roadways.

These patrols come on the heels of a new report from Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) that provides insights into what has become the most common form of driver impairment — poly-drug use (two or more drugs or a combination of alcohol and drugs).

Beginning in 2012, the number of poly-drug impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes has increased by an average of 15 percent every year. As of 2016, one in four of all Washington traffic deaths involve a poly-drug impaired driver. In 2017 alone, 250 people were killed in such crashes.