King County Target Zero expands traffic safety education

King County Target Zero expands traffic safety education

Published 10:15 am Monday, October 5, 2026

Two South King County community-based organizations have been selected by the King County Target Zero Coalition as grantees to promote diverse traffic safety education throughout the county.

Mujer al Volante and Mission Africa, each based in Federal Way, were the two nonprofits chosen by the coalition to support multilingual traffic safety education for community members throughout South King County. Each group received grants of $20,000, according to a coalition spokesperson.

The King County Target Zero Coalition was founded in 1988 by Public Health Seattle and King County with funding from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and state public health funds, according to its website.

In 2025, the coalition launched a new project to address a dangerous 11-mile corridor, known as 140th Avenue SE from Highway 169 (Renton/Fairwood) south through Kent/Auburn where it becomes 132nd Avenue SE to Highway 18. The main goal of the new coalition project is reducing the amount of accidents, injuries and deaths along that stretch of roadway in South King County.

The project has been successful over the past year and expanded in 2026 to continue supporting and encouraging traffic safety education for everyone throughout the county. Part of this new plan was working with two organizations to help reach as many different communities as possible.

“Mujer al Volante (Women Driving), is an immigrant-led nonprofit based in South King County that supports low-income immigrant, refugee and asylee women through multilingual driver education and empowerment programs,” according to an August press release from the coalition. “Founded in 2013, the organization has served more than 2,000 women and provides culturally responsive programming in 10 languages.”

The organization was founded by Jaqueline Garcia Castillo and won Washington Organization of the Year in 2025.

“Our mission is to teach women how to drive and we prepare them to pass knowledge tests and get a drivers license but most importantly we help them to become independent,” Castillo said.

Castillo herself immigrated to Seattle in 2011 and found it difficult to access resources to attain a drivers license. This led her to founding Mujer al Volante to give other immigrant women the support system that she never had.

“The most powerful way to see long-term and sustainable changes is through these partnerships,” Castillo said. “The community organizations are able to change the culture.”

The King County Target Zero Coalition also partnered with Mission Africa.

“Mission Africa, a South King County nonprofit with more than 21 years of community service…aims to increase awareness around safe speeds and distraction-free driving, particularly among historically underserved communities, including immigrant and refugee households, multilingual residents, communities of color, and families with teens,” according to the coalition’s press release.

This year marks the 20th year anniversary of Mission Africa, which was founded by Ndudi Chuku.

“Every parent wants to see their children take their car keys out and bring their car keys in,” said Chuku, the organization’s executive director. “Everything we do in life is to be safe so we can live life. So for King County to invest in Target Zero, they are investing in life.”

Anthony Muchiri, a board member and the project manager of Mission Africa, commented on the importance of offering multilingual and diverse traffic safety education.

“The message has to reach everybody. It has to reach BIPOC communities, low income communities, immigrant communities…for us to be safe, everyone has to be involved,” he said. “We do this by addressing systemic inequalities through…programs that they are able to understand and programs where they are able to relate.”

The nonprofit offers driving instruction in multiple languages to reach as many people as possible. These resources allow for new residents to navigate the complicated process of getting a drivers license in the United States.

“There is nothing that we have accomplished that we could have done by ourselves,” Chuku said. “Mission Africa is changing lives one village at a time.”

The King County Target Zero Coalition has already seen success with their focus on the 11-mile corridor in South King County and hope that its new partnerships will continue to decrease the amount of collisions in the area.

“Driving behavior data suggests a 17% reduction in driving at speeds of more than 40 mph along the corridor for January to July 2026 compared to the same period in 2024,” according to the press release.

Castillo summarized the mission of the nonprofits.

“It is never too late to take the steering wheel of your life,” she said. “Keep investing in culture change through different nonprofits and community organizations.”