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New state bill aims to outlaw jaywalking citations in Washington


A group of people crossing the street (KOMO News)
A group of people crossing the street (KOMO News)
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Washington state legislators are currently considering a bill that would repeal the law outlawing jaywalking across the state.

Advocates and sponsors of House Bill 1428 argue that Washington's current jaywalking laws disproportionally impact minorities and people who are low-income or homeless.

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The Washington Build Back Black Alliance is one of the main proponents of the repeal. Appearing before state legislators on Wednesday, group members testified that Washington's current jaywalking models were obsolete and too harsh.

"Something as small and incremental as jaywalking could result in egregious loss of life because we are creating these unnecessary interactions with law enforcement,” said Paula Sardinas. “We think that public safety should be focused on other more serious issues.”

Group members also said they developed data that showed Black pedestrians are stopped for jaywalking four times more often than their share of the population and that nearly half of those affected by jaywalking citations are homeless.

Despite the repeal efforts, both the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) and the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) argued that a repeal would endanger not only pedestrians but drivers as well.

WTSC administrators cited figures that showed 60% of pedestrian deaths happen along busy streets beyond crosswalks.

"The roadways are designed for cars, and pedestrians are not safe outside of their boundaries of crosswalks and the shoulders already designated for them,” said Taylor Gardner, WASPC Policy Director. “We have every expectation that if we make jaywalking legal here, we’ll see more people exercise that freedom at a higher rate, and the data on fatalities will reflect it."

Washington's scrutiny of jaywalking laws follows similar actions in California, Nevada, and Virginia, which all decriminalized jaywalking since 2021.

Near Seattle Center, pedestrians told KOMO that they believed jaywalking was no big deal.

"To get a ticket when there’s no danger doesn’t seem fair," said Connie Doherty.

"If there’s a police officer there, he can scold them or do what he wants, but he should let them go at the end of the day," added Erin Holden.

According to WASPC, numbers from 2021 showed that authorities issued 1,000 citations for jaywalking across the state.

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