WSP was ready for drunk, aggressive Water Follies drivers. How it turned out
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- WSP reported fewer DUIs, collisions and speeders during the busy event weekend.
- Troopers stopped 159 drivers in 2025, a sharp drop from 471 the previous year.
- Additional patrols and aircraft supported traffic enforcement across the Tri-Cities.
While thousands of people flooded into the Tri-Cities this weekend, more of them left the high speeds on the water.
The Washington State Patrol reported there were fewer speeding, drunk and aggressive drivers on state highways this weekend, Trooper Daniel Mosqueda told the Tri-City Herald.
“We want to thank our community for being safe on the road,” Mosqueda said. “We went through the weekend when there were 60,000 extra people on the road, and we didn’t have any serious injuries or loss of life.”
The annual Water Follies Apollo APBA Gold Cup and STCU Over the River Air Show brought thousands to the Kennewick and Pasco shorelines for the three-day event. And Richland’s popular Art in the Park show added thousands more to streets around town.
The state patrol planned ahead for the traffic by bringing in additional troopers to monitor the highways. That included support from motorcycle troopers and a WSP airplane.
There was a substantial drop in one of the biggest problem areas from last year — speeders. In 2024, nearly a dozen people going more than 100 mph.
Preliminary reports show troopers stopped 159 drivers this year, compared to 471 last year.
They also had four people caught for DUI, including two who led police on chases on state highways. That’s down from eight last year.
There also was a drop in the number of collisions with 11 reported this year, compared to 22 last year, Mosqueda said.
Mosqueda pointed out that the numbers are early and may change as reports are submitted. The arrests and tickets were not necessarily tied to people attending Water Follies events on either side of the river.
Benton and Franklin counties also saw fewer people arrested for DUI this year. Nine drivers and one boater were booked into the Benton County jail for being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, according to jail records. That’s a drop from 18 drivers last year.
Police agencies from across the region had officers and deputies stationed at Columbia Park and on the Pasco side of the river during the races. Few problems were reported they said.