Making an Impact
May 2024
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In this issue:
- National Heatstroke Prevention Day is May 1st – Don't Leave a Child Unattended in a Vehicle!
- Seat Belt Enhanced Enforcement May 20 – June 2: Click It or Ticket!
- The Street Trust Welcomes Community Partners for Oregon Active Transportation Summit
- ODOT Transportation Safety Workshops & Open Houses
- National Bicycle Safety Month
- Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
- Upcoming Events:
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June 5-7, 2024: Oregon Active Transportation Summit
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June 6, 2024: Secure Your Load Day
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June 2024: Oregon Child Passenger Safety Regional Conference (five events at locations around the state, free for technicians)
- July 2024: Vehicle Theft Prevention Month
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National Heatstroke Prevention Day
May 1, 2024
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Don't Leave a Child Unattended
in a Vehicle!
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Much of the following information comes from NoHeatStroke.org, a website by Jan Null, CCM, Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, San Jose State University. The site address is http://noheatstroke.org; it is updated often and well worth repeat visits. | |
Between 1998 and 2023, 969 children aged 14 and younger died of heatstroke inside a vehicle. This horrifying number is likely a conservative one, based on the methods used to document these deaths and the circumstances in which they happened. Whatever the true figure may be, the fact remains: every single one of these deaths was entirely preventable.
May 1st is National Heatstroke Prevention Day, marking the beginning of the most dangerous period of the year for in-car heatstroke deaths. However, kids can and have died of heatstroke inside a vehicle in every month of the year, and in almost every state in the nation (only Alaska, New Hampshire, and Vermont have not seen a child die of heatstroke inside a car in the last 25 years).
Just over half of the deaths due to heatstroke inside a car were of kids who were forgotten; almost half of these were not dropped off at childcare when their caregivers thought they had been.
Don’t leave a child alone in the car. Not even “for just a minute.” 80% of the total heat rise inside a closed vehicle takes place in the first half hour. It is also illegal to do so in 21 states. This does not include Oregon but does include Washington (in certain circumstances) and California (in all cases).
Oregon does, however, have a “Good Samaritan” law allowing someone who sees a child unattended in a vehicle to open the vehicle, using force if necessary. Twenty-two other states, including California but not Washington, also have such laws.
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Don’t leave your pets unattended in the car either.
Our furry friends are just as vulnerable to heatstroke and death inside a closed car as human children are.
Oregon’s “Good Samaritan” law also applies to domestic pets left unattended in vehicles.
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Always check the back seat before leaving your car. You can put your wallet or purse in the back seat to help remind you. Even better, put your phone in the back seat – that's a win- win for safety!
One quarter of the deaths of kids in hot cars were of kids who gained access to a parked vehicle. This happened most often at home. Always lock your vehicle and keep the keys where kids can’t get them.
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Seatbelt Enhanced Enforcement
May 20 - June 2: Click It or Ticket
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Oregon had the highest rate of seat belt use in the nation in 2022: a stunning 96.5%. Not surprisingly, then, Oregon also has the lowest rate of unrestrained motor vehicle occupant fatalities in the nation, at 31% (for 2021, tied with Minnesota).
To help motivate those last few who still need to remember to buckle up, local law enforcement agencies, in cooperation with ODOT and NHTSA, will be running enhanced enforcement campaigns from May 20 – June 2, 2024, coinciding with the Memorial Day holiday and the beginning of the traditional summer driving season.
There’s no question that seat belts save lives. NHTSA statistics from 2017 show that nearly 15,000 lives were saved by seat belts; over 2,500 more could have been saved if everyone buckled up. Regardless of type of vehicle, location, trip distance, or any other factor, wearing a properly fitted seat belt is the most effective way to avoid death or severe injury in a crash.
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The Street Trust Welcomes
Community Partners for Oregon Active Transportation Summit
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This event brings together hundreds of professionals, legislators, advocates and activists to learn about and discuss the latest issues in walking, biking and public transportation.
This year’s conference is themed “Move Oregon Forward.” The purpose, according to the conference website, is to “ground our community of advocates, organizers, professionals and decision makers in the shared belief that a better future is possible.”
The Street Trust is welcoming Community Partners to the summit. Community Partners are regional nonprofits, business associations and community organizations (including school districts if the districts allow) that work to promote the topic of mobility, equity and social justice to their networks through newsletters, websites, social media and community events.
Community Partners will help spread the word about the Oregon Active Transportation Summit through a no-cost, cross promotional agreement. The partnership supports the shared goal of spreading information, resources and best practices to create positive, lasting change in the community.
Partner benefits include one complimentary ticket to the Oregon Active Transportation Summit, the partner’s logo linked in the Community Partner section of the event website and conference app, and more.
A full overview is available here: https://oregontransportationsummit.org/wp- content/uploads/2024/02/Oregon-Active-Transportation-Summit-2024-Community- Partner-Overview.pdf
Interested organizations can email:
noel@oregontransportationsummit.org to become a partner.
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ODOT Transportation Safety Workshops and Open Houses | |
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The mission of ODOT’s Transportation Safety Office is to improve the safety of all roadway users and all modes of travel in Oregon through education and outreach.
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To that end, the Office is holding a series of workshops and open houses throughout the state, beginning May 2, 2024, at City Hall in Island City. This is an opportunity for any interested citizens to have their voices heard and help shape the future of transportation safety in their communities.
The workshop part of the event, beginning at 1:00 pm, is intended to explore road user behavior and will help identify pressing issues. The workshop is by invitation only and space is limited; to RSVP and secure a place, call Billie-Jo Nickens at 541-786-5915 or email billie-jo.m.nickens@odot.oregon.gov.
The workshop will be followed by an open house at 4:30pm, where community members can provide feedback on safety topics and discuss concerns raised at the workshop.
More events around the state are happening throughout May:
- May 14 – ODOT Region 3 HQ, Roseburg
- May 15 – The Mill Casino, North Bend
- May 16 – Josephine County Fairgrounds, Grants Pass
- May 30 – Four Rivers Cultural Center, Ontario
Events in the north coast and Portland Metro areas will be scheduled soon.
If you want to take part but cannot attend in person, the Office has created an online survey that takes only a few minutes to complete. The survey is at this link.
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National Bicycle Safety Month
May 2024
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Bicycling is a lot safer now than it was in the days of the old high wheeler (or penny-farthing), but there’s a lot we can do as riders or drivers to make it safer still. Photo from the Library of Congress archive, c. 1920.
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May is National Bicycle Safety Month. As the weather warms up and dries out, many more people will be pedaling their way down the road. It’s important to remember, however, that people are out on their bikes throughout the year. Information from the US Census shows that many people, particularly in low-income or marginalized communities, rely on biking or walking as their primary mode of transportation.
Bicycle safety is a shared responsibility between cyclists and motor vehicle drivers. Here are some tips for both:
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① Always keep an eye out for cyclists, and don’t drive distracted or impaired. Remember that the average car weighs over two tons, while the average bicycle weighs closer to twenty pounds. That’s one half of one percent (.005) as much! Bikes just don’t have the kind of protection that cars do.
② When you see a cyclist, slow down! Bike riders are most often killed when they are hit by the front of a vehicle traveling at high speed. The faster a vehicle is traveling, the more likely a cyclist will be seriously injured or killed in a crash.
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① Always wear a helmet. Oregon law requires helmets for all riders under the age of 16, and they are a good idea for riders of all ages. Just as seat belts save lives in car crashes, bike helmets save lives too.
② Because bikes are smaller than cars, they are harder to see. You can help drivers to see you by having lights and reflectors on your bike and wearing bright colored or reflective clothing. Lights (white at the front, red at the rear) are legally required in Oregon if you are riding after dark.
③ Consider biking in a group when possible. Studies have shown that drivers behave more safely when they meet groups of cyclists out on the road. There really is safety in numbers!
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Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
May 2024
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Motorcycling has become more popular as both transportation and leisure activity in recent years; registrations and miles traveled surged in the early 2000s and have kept a consistent level since 2011. The idea of riding as an expression of freedom and independence goes back almost to the invention of the motorcycle over 100 years ago.
Unfortunately, that freedom can come at the ultimate price. In 2022, 6,218 motorcyclists were killed on the nation’s roads – the highest number in almost 50 years. Motorcycles accounted for 3.5% of motor vehicle registrations in 2021, but 14% of traffic fatalities.
Motorcyclists are thus vastly overrepresented when it comes to deaths in traffic crashes.
May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, a time for both riders and drivers to commit to sharing the road and doing their part to keep riders alive and safe to pursue their passion – or just get to work, school or home in one piece.
For riders, the single most effective action toward being safe is gearing up properly, starting with a DOT-compliant helmet. Helmet use is mandatory in Oregon, no matter your age.
Riding clothes of leather, heavy denim, or more modern materials that cover your arms and legs offer protection in case of a crash and can also reduce dehydration. Brightly colored or reflective clothing will also help increase a rider’s visibility.
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Fun Fact
In 1974, TV network censors would not allow the character of Fonzie in the series "Happy Days" to wear a leather jacket. They would permit it, however, while he was on his motorcycle -- for safety's sake. This is why in the early seasons of the show, Fonzie is always seen on or right next to his beloved motorcycle.
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Always ride sober.
Riding takes a high degree of strength, skill and concentration, and riding impaired – to any extent – can be deadly. In both 2021 and 2022, around 40% of riders killed in crashes had some amount of alcohol in their blood at the time.
Drivers should always keep an eye out for motorcycles, remembering that they are far smaller than cars, and do not always move in the same way. For example, the practice of weaving or lane-splitting, where a rider travels between lanes of slow-moving or stopped traffic, while not currently legal in Oregon, is widely practiced.
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Missed the ODOT Road to Safety Webinar
Bikes, Trikes and Automobiles?
Recordings of past webinars can be found at oregonimpact.org along with dates for upcoming sessions. Hope to see you there.
DPSST credit available.
*Please allow 2-3 days from event for recorded content to become available
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- July 2024: Vehicle Theft Prevention Month
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Drive Sober, Safe, and Happy!
from your
Friends at Oregon Impact
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