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Committee hears testimony on doubling penalties for repeat traffic infractions; prevention and equity concerns raised
Summary
Senate Bill 5,705 would double base penalties for certain second-or-subsequent traffic infractions within two years and increase penalties for some first offenses in school/playground speed zones; witnesses debated enforcement, prevention and equity and staff provided fiscal notes for training costs.
House Transportation Committee staff and a broad panel of safety, education and advocacy witnesses discussed Senate Bill 5,705, which would raise penalty amounts for specified traffic infractions and double base penalties for second and subsequent offenses within a two-year window.
Staff summary read to the committee described current base penalties and totals for common infractions: the staff report said the base penalty for many infractions is $48 with the inclusive total (fees and assessments) currently at $145; second-and-subsequent infractions for a set of violations would see base penalties doubled, producing an inclusive total that in many cases would move to $243. The bill also proposes doubling base penalties for negligent driving in the second degree from $250 (total $559) to $500 (total $1,071). The doubling for second/subsequent infractions may be waived by a court, except for certain first violations of personal electronic device use in school, playground or crosswalk speed zones where the increase would not be waivable.
Staff presented a multi-agency fiscal note: the Washington State Patrol listed $76,000 in one-time FY2026 costs (mostly training); local governments listed $336,000 in one-time training costs; revenue impacts were described as indeterminate but expected to be positive overall.
Witnesses offered competing views on whether stiffer penalties alone will change behavior and on equity of enforcement. Mark McKechnie of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission described long-term trends: “fatalities involving excessive speed increased 67 percent from 2014 to 2023,” and said speed is a critical factor in crash likelihood and severity. He cited survey and telematics data showing speed and mobile-device use are common behaviors and urged the committee to consider measures that address those behaviors.
Brian Horsley, president of NTSI (formerly National Traffic Safety Institute), urged adding prevention and education to the bill, saying sanctions alone are “a purely reactive tool” and citing state efficacy studies where behavior-based driver education reduced recidivism. Horsley recommended prioritizing safer driver education for first offenders coupled with sanctions for repeat offenders.
Other public commenters opposed aspects of the bill on grounds of regressivity or overreach. Jeff Pack of Washington Citizens Against Unfair Taxes called some provisions “predatory,” particularly enforcement tied to a 10-mph overage in higher-speed corridors; a longtime driver-education instructor testifying as Dave Sotomayor urged improved public notice, signage and driver education before increasing penalties.
Committee member Representative Birnbaum pressed witnesses on evidence for durable behavior change from higher fines and raised concerns about racially disparate enforcement; witnesses said literature is limited and that available studies are mixed and often from outside the United States. McKechnie and Horsley both emphasized pairing enforcement with education.
The committee took no final vote during the hearing; the public testimony record will be available for further committee consideration.
