 News
media contacts:
Dylan Rivera, Portland Bureau of Transportation
(503) 577-7534; dylan.rivera@portlandoregon.gov
Mike Pullen, Multnomah County
(503) 209-4111; mike.j.pullen@multco.us
PBOT News Release:
Traffic safety
reminders for Labor Day Weekend
Safety tips to combat a growing
public health issue
The Labor Day Holiday is a time of
celebration. The long weekend is a time to mark the achievements of the labor
movement and the unofficial end of summer. We celebrate with barbecues, outdoor
recreation, and road trips. But all too often, holidays bring tragedy for those
involved in traffic crashes.
During the days surrounding the July 4, 2017
holiday, seven people were killed in seven days on roads in the City of
Portland. Those seven people account for nearly a quarter of all deaths on Portland’s
streets so far in 2017. These tragic
deaths were all preventable.
The City of Portland, Multnomah County and 24 other
agencies and community stakeholders are critical partners in Vision Zero, an effort to eliminate deaths and
serious injuries by 2025 in Portland and the rest of Multnomah County
The Vision Zero Action
Plan found that 91 percent of deadly crashes in Portland involve impairment,
speed, red-light running or other dangerous behaviors. One of our largest
challenges is changing human behavior.
“One
traffic death is too many,” said Portland Commissioner Dan Saltzman, who
oversees the Portland Bureau of Transportation. “We urge everyone, especially
drivers, to take extra care this holiday so families across Portland can
celebrate Labor Day weekend safely.
|
“This summer’s traffic deaths show
that safety on our roads is a growing public health issue,” said Multnomah
County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson.
“The county fully supports the Vision Zero goals to eliminate these
preventable deaths and injuries.”
We are asking everyone in Multnomah County to
make safe travel choices this Labor Day Weekend. Specifically:
-
Drive at a safe speed - nearly
half of Portland's deadly crashes involve people driving at unsafe speeds.
- Drive sober - more than half of
deadly crashes in Portland involve people who are intoxicated, usually by
alcohol.
- Drive alert - every three hours,
someone in Oregon is injured by a distracted driver. Pull over to text message,
make or take a phone call.
- Look out for others - people
walking and bicycling don’t have 3,000 pounds of metal to protect them in a
crash.
- Buckle up!
FACTS
- Twenty-eight people lost their
lives on streets or highways in the City of Portland to date in 2017: more than
one third were pedestrians.[1]
- There were 55 traffic deaths in
Multnomah County in 2016.[2] This
compares to an annual average of 41 from 2011 through 2015.
- Unintentional injuries, including
those from traffic crashes, were the third leading cause of death in Multnomah
County in 2015.[3]
-
In 2016, 495 people died on Oregon
roads, the highest number since 2003. In 2013 Oregon saw one of its safest
years on record, with 313 traffic deaths. Traffic fatalities have been
increasing nationwide since 2014.[4]
-
Nationwide, traffic crashes were
the leading cause of fatal injuries in 2015 for youth ages 5 to 24, and the
second leading cause of fatal injuries for ages 25 and over.[5]
For more information on Vision Zero, visit:
https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/66612
###
FOOTNOTES
[1] Best estimate as of 8/31/2017. This figure
excludes a suicide, following National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
criteria.
[2] ODOT data from personal correspondence,
8/1/17.
[3] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2015 on
CDC WONDER Online Database, released December, 2016. Data are from the Multiple
Cause of Death Files, 1999-2015, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital
statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program.
Accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov/ucd-icd10.html on Aug 1, 2017 11:37:25 AM
[4] National Safety Council. (2017). Motor
Vehicle Fatality Estimates. Available from:
http://www.nsc.org/NewsDocuments/2017/12-month-estimates.pdf
[5]
https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/pdf/leading_causes_of_injury_deaths_highlighting_unintentional_injury_2015-a.pdf
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is the steward of the City’s transportation system, and a community partner in shaping a livable city. We plan, build, manage and maintain an effective and safe transportation system that provides access and mobility. www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation
| 
