Fighting for Safer Roads and Racial Justice: The Case for Traffic Safety for All

This legislative session, the ACLU of Washington returned to Olympia to advocate for a smarter, fairer approach to traffic enforcement. Our focus: House Bill 1512, also known as Traffic Safety for All — a bill that would make modest but meaningful changes to how traffic stops are conducted in Washington. 

Though the bill stalled after a committee hearing, our commitment hasn’t wavered. We will be back next session to push for its passage. 

At its core, Traffic Safety for All shifts the focus of traffic enforcement to what matters most: safety. The bill requires police to prioritize stops for behaviors that pose a danger, like impaired or reckless driving. It limits stops for maintenance issues – such as a broken taillight or expired tabs, which would still get you a ticket, but would no longer be a primary reason for pulling someone over. This change couldn’t come at a more urgent time. Washington is facing a crisis on our roads, with traffic deaths at levels we haven’t seen in decades. These tragedies are driven largely by impaired and distracted driving — not by minor maintenance issues. Yet, police resources are too often spent on the latter.  

By refocusing traffic enforcement on safety threats, the bill would make our roads safer for everyone —and it would also advance racial equity.  Black and brown drivers are disproportionately stopped for low-level traffic violations, increasing the risk of unnecessary escalation, racial profiling and violence. Limiting these unhelpful stops is a concrete step toward reducing harm without compromising safety. 

Traffic Safety for All is also a matter of economic justice. Many equipment violations are symptoms of poverty — not signs of reckless driving or criminality. People want to fix their cars, but some simply can’t afford to. This bill would continue to fund a grant program to help low-income drivers afford necessary repairs and stay in compliance with the law. While the bill didn’t pass this year, we successfully secured funding in the state budget for this community grant fund — a critical win that will deliver real help to drivers in need. 

We all want safer roads. Traffic Safety for All gets us there — not by rewriting the rules, but by using our resources wisely and fairly. It’s a common-sense solution rooted in safety, equity, and justice. 

We’re proud of the progress we made this session — and we’re not done. We’ll keep fighting until Traffic Safety for All becomes law in Washington.