New laws in effect as of January 1, 2025

The Washington State Patrol and WSDOT Incident Response Team have been busy, confronted by a year of record traffic death and a surge in intoxicated, distracted, or negligent drivers. A new law enacts stricter penalties on negligent drivers who strike ‘vulnerable road users.’

When the clock struck midnight on Tuesday night, the fireworks popped, the calendars turned, and a slate of new laws took effect in Washington state.

Among them:

• The Legislature responded to record traffic death by passing several new road safety measures, including stiffer penalties for negligent drivers who hit pedestrians, cyclists, or other ‘vulnerable road users.’
• Identification is vital – not having a valid ID can present barriers to housing, employment, and so much more. That’s why the state Department of Licensing launched a mobile DOL2Go program to bring licensing services to neighborhoods and even individual doorsteps. And it’s the reason behind a new law that requires the state to provide identification to people upon release from state-run prisons, psychiatric hospitals, and rehabilitation centers.
• The state has adopted many responsive public health measures of late, including lifesaving campaigns to more widely distribute overdose-reversing naloxone. New this year is a law requiring hospitals to readily provide medication that prevents HIV infection after exposure. Sexual assault survivors and first responders, among other groups, risk HIV exposure - the new policy may help them avoid lifelong complications.
• Another new law clears a wider berth for endangered orcas in Puget Sound. All boaters must distance themselves at least 1,000 yards from the whales. The measure should reduce strikes and perhaps more importantly reduce underwater noise, which disturbs their fishing habits and communication.