Workers who survived being hit in Oregon work zones ask travelers to slow down, pay attention

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May 4, 2016

For more information: Dave Thompson, ODOT, (503) 860-8021

 

"Somebody just wasn't paying attention."

With those words, ODOT Maintenance worker Chad Bingham described what it was like to be hit in a work zone. He then called on travelers to stop the epidemic of distracted driving in Oregon.

ODOT, the Oregon State Police, the Associated General Contractors of Oregon, AAA Oregon/Idaho and the Oregon Trucking Associations kicked off Transportation Safety Awareness Month in Oregon with a press conference along the Randy Papé Beltline in Eugene/Springfield this morning, reminding travelers that everyone on the road has a responsibility to pay attention.

"We are challenging Oregon drivers to ditch the distractions and focus on driving," said ODOT Director Matt Garrett. "Be alert. Stay alert. Slow down."

Knife River Corporation NW Region President Brian Gray spoke emotionally about two construction workers for his company who were hit and killed in work zone crashes.

"I lost two co-workers to work zone fatalities," Gray said. "They were doing their jobs safely. They had years of on-the-job experience, they had their safety gear on, their construction signs out, their warning beacons on. They were focused on doing their jobs safely, just as they had been trained."

"But unfortunately, their lives were taken prematurely — their families were devastated — because distracted drivers were not paying attention while driving through a construction work zone."

Using ODOT crash data from the five-year period from 2010 to 2014:

  • Every 19 hours, a work zone crash occurs in Oregon, on average
  • 7 people die in work zone crashes each year, on average
  • 20 people are seriously injured each year, on average
  • 477 work zone crashes happen every year in Oregon, on average
  • Inattention and speed are two of the main reasons

"Your smart technology is a huge and dangerous distraction while you're driving," said Marie Dodds, director of Government and Public Affairs for AAA Oregon/Idaho. "AAA's research shows almost half of all drivers read texts or emails while driving, and most of us talk on our phones. in short: many drivers demonstrate a 'do as I say, not as I do' attitude toward distracted driving."

Oregon State Police have already documented a 37 percent increase in enforcement actions, using a fleet of 40 new unmarked vehicles to observe and document distracted driving.

"We're asking drivers to put down their phones for safety's sake," said OSP Captain Bill Fugate. "OSP troopers will be out on Oregon's highways reducing what we call the fatal five driving behaviors: speed, occupant safety, lane usage, impaired driving and distracted driving."

"We're out there for you," said Bingham. "Please watch out for us!"

 

Links for further information:

EDITORS: TODAY, May 4, is Star Wars Day, playing off the date ("May the Fourth be with you") and the month of the release of the first Star Wars movie (May 25, 1977). Please check out today's tweets and Facebook posts providing a series of light-hearted reminders of safe driving practices: www.twitter.com/OregonDOT and www.facebook.com/OregonDOT.

 

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