In this issue:

• Pedestrian Safety Month
• Profile: Lynn Chiotti, Traffic Safety Advocate
• Halloween: Stay Safe, Designate a Sober Driver
• Upcoming Events

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Pedestrian Safety Month

October is Pedestrian Safety Month, a reminder that all of us are pedestrians at one time or another every day, and that we need to look out for one another whether we’re on foot, on wheels or behind the wheel.

Statistics released earlier this year from the Governors Highway Safety Association report that 7,318 pedestrians died in traffic crashes in 2023. While that number is down about five percent from 2022, it’s still a whopping 14 percent increase from 2019, pre-pandemic.

Pedestrian fatalities reached a 40-year high in 2022.

When you are out and about, whether on foot or driving, there’s simple tips you can follow to improve your chances of getting there and back again safe and sound.

Tips for Pedestrians

① Avoid distractions such as texting, talking on your phone or listening on headphones. (Reading while walking, as I often did as a kid, is also not a great idea.)

② Stay visible. Avoid wearing dark colors that will blend into your surroundings and make it harder for drivers to see you. Choose bright colors for daytime and light colored or reflective clothing at night.

③ Use crosswalks, or cross at marked intersections wherever possible. If none are available cross the street in a well-lit area where you have a good view of traffic. Don’t ever step out from between parked cars!

④ Before stepping out, let drivers know you intend to cross, by putting out a foot, arm, or cane. Try to make eye contact with drivers so you know they have seen you. Only cross after you’ve looked in all directions for approaching traffic, and be sure to obey all pedestrian signals.

Tips for Drivers

① Don't drive distracted. “Keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel.”

② Slow down! A very small difference in the speed of a vehicle can mean the difference between life and death for a pedestrian in the event of a collision. Keep an eye out for pedestrians at corners and mid-block crosswalks.

③ Yield when a pedestrian shows their intent to cross. Give them space to cross before proceeding – your lane plus at least six feet of the next one. If the pedestrian is blind (using a white cane or a guide dog) you must wait until they have completely crossed the street. Don’t ever pass a stopped vehicle at a crosswalk. Someone may be crossing!

④ Take extra care at night. Most vehicle/pedestrian crashes take place after dark.

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Traffic Safety Office has produced an excellent Guide to Oregon Crosswalk Laws available as a PDF, or you can request a physical copy for free from Oregon Impact.

Profile: Lynn Chiotti,

Traffic Safety Advocate

In this edition of Making an Impact, we’ll walk you through Lynn Chiotti’s journey as a traffic safety advocate and the lasting impact she’s had on the community. Her long- standing dedication to traffic safety began when she was just five years old in Redding, California, witnessing a horrific traffic crash involving a train and a vehicle outside her family’s home. This tragic event foreshadowed Lynn’s lifetime commitment to safety, leaving a lasting impression on her.

The crash also deeply affected her father, who instilled in her the importance of safety, eventually leading her to pursue higher education. Lynn earned a master’s degree in health and physical education and, during her tenure as a physical education teacher, briefly taught driver’s education. It was there that she solidified her foundation in safe driving practices and strengthened her commitment to the well-being of her students. But this was only the beginning of Lynn’s involvement in community safety.

A view of the Columbia County Courthouse in St. Helens, Oregon. Traffic safety advocate Lynn Chiotti has been part of the Columbia County Traffic Safety Commission for nearly 40 years. Photo by Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives.

In the early 1980s, drunk driving had become a serious problem in Columbia County, Oregon. Lynn experienced back-to-back incidents: first,

indirectly, when her close friend’s son was killed in a drunk driving crash, and then directly, when a handful of her students died in car crashes near her home. In response, in 1983, Lynn founded her county’s branch of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), which led to her being invited to sit in on a Traffic Safety Commission (TSC) meeting.

What’s truly inspiring about Lynn's story is her strong sense of initiative and unwavering commitment to her community. When she speaks, you can hear her passionate dedication. She quickly transformed her grief into action, and within two years of sitting in on that first meeting, she had become the secretary for the TSC.

Three Important Numbers: 15, 37, and 1

When Lynn joined the Traffic Safety Commission, there were 15 deaths from impaired driving that year in Columbia County. According to Lynn, this was because, while the TSC had admirable intentions, it hadn’t yet gained enough local recognition to enact meaningful change.

The TSC realized a few key things in those early days that solidified them as trailblazers, and it started with the concept of community. They understood that to create a safer environment, they had to focus more on who was in the room during their meetings, and less on their personal agendas.

So, that’s exactly what they did. They revisited their bylaws and made adjustments to include representatives from parts of the community that hadn’t been fully aware of the dangers they were facing. They brought in representatives from law enforcement, schools, emergency services, and local government. By diversifying their representation and gathering various types of support, they were able to inform agencies like the Oregon Department of Transportation, which implemented the necessary changes. Lynn further emphasized this community-focused approach when she told me, “We agreed that when we walked into the room, our personal agendas went out the door... It became about 'we,' not 'I.'"

Lynn is truly an inspiration. She told me she had a responsibility to enact change, and she carried the will to do so. She jokingly emphasized during our conversation that she hadn’t volunteered willingly to be the secretary for the TSC—someone else volunteered for her. Nonetheless, she remained the secretary until earlier this year, marking her 37th year among the TSC ranks, and during those 37 years, they managed to lower impaired driving fatalities from 15 to just 1 per year.

Her Accomplishments

When the project was commencing, Lynn and her husband would often drive through neighboring states.

She’d observe various traffic zones and how they operated with traffic safety, then report her findings to the Oregon Department of Transportation, which in turn implemented various traffic policies and adjustments. This deliberation directly resulted in the project being completed under budget in 1995, adding an additional two lanes, making it the four-lane highway it is today. Another key local achievement the TSC accomplished with Lynn’s help was the improvements to Columbia County’s Bennett Road. The project resulted in a substantial reduction of fatalities at the problematic intersection, and since the change, only one fatality has occurred.

Lynn’s involvement hasn’t stopped. She and the TSC are constantly finding new ways to improve their county’s safety. Most recently, as emphasized by Lynn, “We set up a communication page where people can call or post if they have a complaint about what’s going on in the construction zone." The TSC then investigates the zone and communicates this with the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Current Issues, Community Response, and Awareness Initiatives

Towards the end of the conversation, Lynn told me the following when referencing her dedication to traffic safety that really resonated: “Passion and patience. Realizing you’re not going to change things overnight... we have to keep going."

The challenges present haven’t gone away; instead, the issues at hand have shifted from drunk driving to, well, smartphones. Lynn’s legacy, though, is more about continued change, not immediate change. While we spoke, she emphasized the importance of youth education. The challenges we face as a community moving forward, regardless of our county, are bound to change. Our approach, however, must remain the same: We must leave our personal agendas behind and focus on ‘we,’ not ‘I.’ I encourage you to get involved in your community’s traffic safety and instill this passion in your children. Know that if we choose to sit idle, nothing will change, but if we communicate, as Lynn has done, the possibilities are endless.

Halloween: Stay Safe, Designate a Sober Driver

In 2022, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 72 people died in traffic crashes on Halloween night (6 p.m. October 31 to 5:59 a.m. November 1).

Nearly half of those fatal crashes involved alcohol, and almost 40 percent were considered drunk driving crashes, where at least one driver had a blood alcohol concentration over the legal limit.

You can make sure that your Halloween celebration – whether the weekend before, the day of, or the weekend after – remains safe and not the bad kind of scary, by designating a sober driver or planning ahead for a taxi or rideshare to get you home if you’ve been drinking. Designate the sober driver or book the rideshare before you begin drinking – any amount of alcohol or other intoxicating substances is enough to impair your judgement and prevent you from making the best decisions.

Upcoming Events

• October 20-26: Teen Driver Safety Week
• October 21-25: School Bus Safety Week
• November 17: World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims
• November 23-27: Drinksgiving/Blackout Wednesday
• December 2-6: Older Driver Safety Week 

Drive Sober, Safe, and Happy!

from your

Friends at Oregon Impact