Transportation Safety Newsletter, July 2019

Oregon Department of Transportation sent this bulletin at 06/28/2019 03:26 PM PDT

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July 2019

Celebrate Safely This Fourth of July

Each year, Independence Day explodes with festive fireworks, tasty backyard-barbecues, and American pride. Unfortunately, the merrymaking can create dangerous road conditions, as some drivers hit the streets while impaired. This iconic American holiday is one of the deadliest holidays of the year due to impaired driving crashes. If you are under the influence of any substance and you choose to get behind the wheel of a vehicle, you put everyone in danger, including yourself.

Celebrate America, celebrate each other—never let a friend drive impaired. Take away the keys, call a cab, or let them stay at your place. This Fourth of July, make sure you celebrate the red, white, and blue with a sober ride home from the party.

Fatigue: 70 million Americans suffer from a sleep disorder. Do you?

Drowsy Driving

When was the last time you actually got 7-9 hours of sleep? Being fatigued doesn’t mean you’re working harder than everyone else – It means you could be a hazard. Missing out on rest can put you at risk. As our lives get busy, sleep is often the first thing to go and we can quickly become fatigued. This can have serious impacts on our health and safety. Take the following actions to stay safe:

Use the Fatigue tip sheet to learn to fight fatigue.
Practice getting at least 7-9 hours of sleep each day.
Consider getting screened for a sleeping disorder if you feel especially tired.

Non-injury crash? Move it! It's the law.

Move It Law

There’s something all of us can do to help keep people safe and free-up congestion on Oregon’s roads. If you get in a non-injury crash, just MOVE IT. It’s that simple – move your vehicle out of the way so other drivers can safely pass. It's also the law.

Focus on safety first. By moving your vehicle safely off the road, you will help:

Make things safer for yourself, anyone else involved in the crash, and others in the area.
Help emergency responders and tow truck operators do their jobs safely.
Lower the risk of a secondary crash.
Reduce the time it takes to clear the crash, minimizing delays and congestion.

Secure Your Load

ODOT stresses the importance of strapping items down when driving on highways. To secure your load: Tie down using rope, netting, or ratchet straps. Place lighter items lower and heavier items on top. Cover your load with a tarp and securely fasten the tarp to the vehicle. Don’t overload your vehicle. Ask yourself: What would happen if you had to brake suddenly or if you hit a bump? Would you feel safe driving behind your vehicle?

Together We Roll

School is out for summer. That means the streets are coming alive with children biking, walking and playing. Check out these safety tips and share them with your friends and family.