Transportation Safety Newsletter, November 2018

Oregon Department of Transportation sent this bulletin at 11/01/2018 10:43 AM PDT

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November 2018

Thanksgiving Holiday Travel

Wearing your seatbelt drops your risk of fatal injury by 45%. Save your giblets and always buckle up.

This Thanksgiving weekend, millions of travelers will hit the roads, traveling to family and friends’ homes for that long-awaited turkey dinner. It’s one of the busiest travel times of the year and, unfortunately, more people on the roadways means the potential for more vehicle crashes. To keep drivers and their passengers safe, please remember this lifesaving tip: Buckle Up – Every Trip. Every Time.

About half of the people killed in motor vehicle crashes nationwide were unbuckled. Much like impaired driving, these deaths represent needless tragedies for families across America. Deaths and injuries could have been reduced with the simple click of a safety belt.

Stop for School Buses

Now that school is back in session, remember: you cannot pass a school bus when the red lights are flashing — even when the school bus is coming from the other direction on a four-lane highway with a painted center median strip or a center turn lane. All vehicles must stop and remain stopped as long as red lights are flashing.

There is one exception to this law — if you are on a divided highway with two sides separated by an unpaved median strip or barrier, you must stop only if you are on the same side of the road as the bus.

School bus drivers will turn on flashing amber lights 100 to 300 feet in advance to warn traffic that the bus is preparing to stop on the road to load or unload children. Drivers should be ready to stop.

Read Oregon Driver Manual

Fall Back One Hour:

Prepare for Potential Fatigue

It’s not the time change that bothers us (some say we’re getting an extra hour this time of year – doesn’t matter!); it’s the impact on circadian rhythm, or the physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow our typical 24-hour cycle. Disturbance of this cycle, according to the National Safety Council (NSC), is a key risk factor for safety incidents. In the transportation industry, that means traffic crashes.

Safety advocates encourage drivers to prepare for the time change on Sunday, November 4 by adjusting sleep habits a few days ahead of the change itself. Getting a good night’s sleep is the best way to fend off drowsy driving. And getting a couple of good night’s sleep in a row is even better.

Adults generally need seven to nine hours of sleep to achieve peak performance, but research indicates 3 in 10 get less than six hours, according to NSC. Everyone knows you don’t drive after drinking, and it should be the same when you are tired: take personal responsibility and don’t get behind the wheel in the first place.