Transportation Safety Newsletter, November 2019

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November 2019

Your Herd Wants You Back - Buckle Up

Your herd wants you back. Buckle up.

Your mission: to deliver the turkey in one piece. But don’t forget that you need to deliver yourself in one piece, first.

Thanksgiving is a time for us all to reflect on what we are thankful for in our lives. This season, the top of our thankfulness list: seat belts. Proper seat belt use is the single most effective way to save your life in the event of a crash. So whether you’re driving across the street or across the country to reach your Thanksgiving feast, it’s imperative to wear your seat belt as you travel.

NHTSA estimates that nearly 15,000 lives were saved by seat belts in 2017. This Thanksgiving make it to the dinner table and Buckle Up. Every Trip. Every Time. Your herd wants you back.

Brake for wildlife

Keep an Eye Out for Wildlife

Deer and elk are on the move this time of year due to breeding season and migration to winter ranges. More wildlife are crossing roads all over the state. ODOT urges motorists to be alert and ready to slow down.

Signs placed in particularly popular areas for wildlife crossing are one tool to help drivers avoid collisions. Being especially watchful around sunrise and sunset is another tip that can help reduce vehicle-wildlife incidents.

When you see an animal, reduce your speed and try to stay in your lane. Many serious crashes are the result of drivers swerving to avoid wildlife and crashing into another vehicle or losing control of their own vehicle.

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There's more than one way to be under the influence.

OTC/Rx Impaired Driving Prevention

There’s more than one way to be under the influence. Use of over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drugs can alter judgment, reaction time, and coordination, impairing driving skills, making motorists more susceptible to crashes and related injuries and fatalities.

The common misconception is that impairment only occurs with alcohol, illegal drug use, or abuse of prescriptions. The reality is that common over-the-counter drugs, such as cold, flu, sleep and allergy medicines, and drugs like antidepressants, opioids, and sleep aids prescribed by a doctor can affect your ability to drive safely – and driving impaired can result in arrest.

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Drowsy Driving Prevention Week November 3-10, 2019 #alert2drive drowsydriving.org

Drowsy Driving Prevention

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) has declared November 3-10 as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week®. According to NSF, more than 1 in 4 Americans do not get enough sleep on most nights, adversely affecting their health, performance, and safety. Before getting behind the wheel, ask yourself, “Am I alert enough to drive?”

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Driver stopped for pedestrians in crosswalk

Tools for Traffic Safety

Traffic safety communication tools are provided in Proactive Traffic Safety: Empowering Behaviors to Reach Our Shared Vision of Zero Deaths and Serious Injuries, a new report from the Montana Department of Transportation. The goal of these tools is to communicate and integrate proactive traffic safety into existing traffic safety efforts.

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USA

Traffic Fatalities Decrease in 2018

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao recently announced a decline in roadway fatalities during 2018 and again in early 2019. Highway crash fatality data for 2018 shows a 2.4 percent decline in overall fatalities, the second consecutive year of reduced crash fatalities.

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Resources

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Contact us at ODOT Safety Division

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Oregon crash data

National traffic safety information

Oregon Impact newsletter

Transportation safety newsletter archives

 

Plan your trip: road conditions and travel information 24/7: www.TripCheck.com or dial 511.