In this issue:

• Rules of the Road - Headlights for Safety
• TriMet's Safe Ride Home
• Winter Driving Guide
• Name a Snow Plow!
• Upcoming Events

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Rules of the Road: Headlights for Safety

As we begin to enter winter weather please remember this important driving tip: The automatic headlight control in vehicles detects brightness outside the vehicle with an Illuminance sensor which activates when light picked up by the sensor drops below a certain level. This does not activate because of inclement weather such as snow, rain, or fog, so please use your headlights manually for safety while driving in these weather conditions.

In addition, daytime running lights on most new vehicles may activate white lights to the front but leave the taillights off which leads to many driving at night or in inclement weather feeling headlights are on without any rear lighting being present. If in doubt, turn your headlights on.

TriMet's Safe Ride Home

TriMet and their transportation partners, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), urge people to avoid impaired driving, the leading cause of crashes involving serious injuries and fatalities.

Before heading out, plan your trip at trimet.org. Remember to set the date to Jan. 1 if you’ll be traveling after midnight. Make sure to check trimet.org/planner before you go. 

PBOT will also offer Safe Ride Home this year, which provides discounts on Uber and Lyft rides on New Year’s Eve between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. 

The City of Portland wants you to get home safely from your New Year's Eve celebrations. We are providing a limited number of coupons for discounted rides in a taxi, Uber, or Lyft. 

Safe Ride Home coupons are valid on rides starting in Portland between 7:00 pm on Tuesday, December 31, 2024, and 4:00 am on Wednesday, January 1st, 2025. 

Paper coupons for up to $20 of a taxi trip will be available at many locations in Portland where people are celebrating. Look for flyers when you are out, then ask staff for a coupon.  

https://www.portland.gov/transportation/regulatory/events/2024/12/31/safe-ride-home-new-years-eve-2024  

Oregon Winter Driving Guide

TAKE YOUR TIME

Oregon’s beautiful scenery is a year-round source of enjoyment. Driving in Oregon’s winters, however, can be challenging. Follow these recommendations so you arrive safely at your destination:

1. Check Oregon’s road conditions and weather forecasts before you leave.
2. Make someone aware of your routes, and if plans change, let someone know. Check in when you’ve reached your destination.
3. Remember, cell phone coverage is not available in many remote areas.
4. Keep your gas tank at least half full.
5. Clear any snow, ice or frost from windows, lights, hood, heater and air inlet vents (don’t forget mirrors and wipers).
6. Do not drive with heater in recirculation mode; it can increase humidity.
7. Drive with your lights on and reduce your speed.
8. Adjust your driving for the conditions; if there is ice or snow on the road, you must take extra care.
9. Don’t use cruise control in wet, icy or snowy weather.
10. If you lose traction, gradually slow down – don’t slam on the brakes!
11. Steering, braking and accelerating smoothly are key to maximum vehicle control on slippery surfaces. Steer just enough to follow the path you intend (most people steer too much or too fast).
12. Be ready to handle potentially dangerous situations by thinking “15 seconds” ahead about your options, such as controlling your speed, changing lanes or communicating with others on the road.
13. Use extra caution when driving on bridges or concrete highways: ice forms first on these surfaces.
14. Avoid driving through snowdrifts; they may cause you to lose control of your vehicle or hit something buried in the snow.
15. Slow down in advance of shaded areas (especially curves) where ice and snow are the last to melt.
16. Chain up early.

Make history by participating in PBOT’s inaugural snowplow naming contest

Keep Portland weird!

Starting today, the Portland Bureau of Transportation invites the public to submit snowplow names through Jan. 5th.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) invites the public to get creative (and a little silly) this holiday season and help name a snowplow.

PBOT crews have been preparing for the possibility of winter weather since October and we need your help!

This year, we’re asking the public to help name five of the 56 snowplows that PBOT owns and operates.  

Submit your ideas using our form. You’ll be prompted to provide your name, contact information, and your suggestion for a snowplow name.

Have more than one idea? Feel free to submit multiple forms! 

When you submit, you agree to the City of Portland using your entry in a public and official capacity. 



Contest Guidelines and Timelines 

Give us your most creative, funniest, and wintry ideas! We will not accept names with inappropriate language, swear words, or slurs. 

Find more guidelines for the contest on our website:  

https://www.portland.gov/transportation/maintenance/events

After submitting your snowplow name(s), come back in a few weeks to vote on the top 20. The top five snowplow names will be chosen as winners and announced in February

• Dec. 23 – Jan. 5: The public submits snowplow name ideas (form closes at 5 p.m. Jan. 5). 
• Week of Jan. 6: PBOT staff select the top 20. 
• Week of Jan. 13: Portlanders vote on their favorites 
• Week of Feb. 3: Top five snowplow names are announced.  

Good luck and may the best five win!  

Upcoming Events

• January 20-27: National Passenger Safety Week
• February 9: Super Bowl: Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk
• March 3-9: Vehicle Safety Recalls Week
• April: National Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Drive Sober, Safe, and Happy!

from your

Friends at Oregon Impact