Dunn Pushes ‘Stupid Motorist Law’ to Deter Future Bridge Strikes

October 23, 2025

King County Council Vice Chair Reagan Dunn sent a letter this morning to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) urging stronger action to prevent bridge strikes throughout our region. Suggestions include the development of a “Stupid Motorist Law” that would hold those who drive extremely tall loads on our roads accountable, in addition to other countermeasures to prevent future bridge and overpass strikes across Washington. This action comes less than 48 hours after the third bridge strike in the last two months, with the latest closing sections of westbound Interstate 90.

In the letter, Dunn thanked WSDOT Secretary Julie Meredith and Governor Ferguson for their “effective leadership and lightning-quick response to the White River Bridge emergency.” Dunn, Ferguson, and Meredith announced last week, on site, that the SR 410 White River Bridge was reopening weeks ahead of schedule. The letter stated the Governor’s response to the SR 410 White River Bridge emergency was “a model of effective, responsive government.”

Dunn cites a troubling pattern of oversized-vehicle strikes against Washington’s transportation infrastructure, including a recent bridge strike of SR 167 near the City of Pacific and an oversized load strike on Monday of the Bullfrog Road overpass on westbound I-90. In his letter, Dunn is requesting:

1. WSDOT conduct a comprehensive root-cause review of recent bridge and overpass strikes;
2. Continued support for Governor Ferguson’s ongoing efforts to strengthen infrastructure protections, including improved signage and detection systems; and
3. For state leaders to explore stronger accountability measures for negligent drivers, such as adopting laws that impose steeper fines or administrative penalties for over-height violations and repeat offenders, and holding commercial operators more responsible for damages to public infrastructure.

“I believe this problem is getting worse, not better,” Dunn wrote. “These incidents impose heavy costs, not just due to repairs, but also in lost time, risks to public safety, disrupted freight movement, and significant economic harms.”

Dunn encouraged the Governor to continue prioritizing these investments in upcoming budget negotiations and offered to use his voice to encourage lawmakers in Olympia to fund these infrastructure investments.

The letter concluded by reaffirming Dunn’s commitment to working with the Governor and WSDOT to improve the safety and reliability of Washington’s transportation network.