The Mission of the Transportation Safety Division is to save lives and reduce costs due to crashes and injuries on Oregon roads.  The goal for Region 2 Transportation Safety is reduce the number and severity of crashes on our roads, through the use of the 4-E approach to safety as listed below:

1.  Engineering - Designing roads to the safest standard possible.
 
2.  Education - Educating the public on best practices to traveling safely by any mode.
 
3.  Enforcement - Working with law enforcement to ensure we have enforcement in the areas where we have the most crashes.
 
4.  EMS - Ensuring the Emergency Services has quick and easy access to crash site and can quickly transport patients to the nearest health care facility.

Topic of the Month: National Transportation Safety Month

 

May is an important month for everyone who works in transportation safety.  Along with being Transportation Safety Month it is also National Motorcycle Safety Month, National Bicycle Safety Month and National Safe Kids Weeks are April 26^th through May 4^th.  That is a lot of safety to promote in one month.  Below are tips for how to practice safety in all of these areas.
 
First let’s look at National Transportation Safety month. The purpose of this campaign is to promote transportation safety of all kinds but especially work zone safety.  With the coming of spring also comes transportation construction season.  This means that you will see people working to improve our roadways all over the state.  The message to drivers this year is, “Slow Down When You See Orange.”  Orange is the national color for all work zones.  You will see orange signs, orange vests, orange cones, orange barrels and even orange trucks.  We want every driver to connect the color orange with work zone safety and to slow down and pay extra attention anytime they see orange along the roadway.
 
The second area that we want to raise awareness to this month is motorcycle safety.  Motorcycles are obviously smaller and more difficult to see than cars.  This means you have to pay special attention to motorcycles.  Yes, motorcyclists have a responsibility to operate their bikes in a safe manner and to watch out for people in cars but this is a shared responsibility.  As with everything in transportation safety we need to look out for each other, to ensure our safety and the safety of everyone on the road.
 
This is also the time of year when many of us dust off our bicycles after the long cold winter and look forward to hitting the road again.  We know that if motorcycles are hard to see bicycles are even harder.  Again there is a shared responsibility to keep everyone safe on the road.  Everyone must look out for each other.  While bicycles are hard to see there are steps cyclists can do to have a safer trip.  First and foremost always wear a properly fitted bike helmet; if you are 16 years of age or younger this is the law.  Our brains are delicate and need to be protected in a crash.    Next, make sure your bike has proper lights and reflectors.  Wear bright reflective clothing and follow the rules of the road.  Don’t make unexpected maneuvers that may surprise drivers into an unsafe response. Bicycles are a healthy form of transportation; just remember to take responsibility for your own personal safety.
 
This year Safe Kids is promoting pre-teen safety by emphasizing the importance of gearing up properly for every sport or activity they participate in.  Pre-teens are sometimes forgotten when we talk about child safety.  After all, they are out of car seats, not yet driving so what are they doing?  They are using various forms of personal transportation.  Pre-teens use everything from bicycles and scooter to skate boards and inline skates.  Each of these forms of transportation has different safety risks.  Make sure your pre-teen operates their transportation of choice in a safe manner and uses the proper safety gear.
 
The good news is that the warmer, drier weather during the spring and summer months provides more transportation options.  Be sure that you and your family are prepared for whatever form of transportation they may choose to use.  Be prepared, be safe.


 
Cindy Bradley

Region 2 Transportation Safety Coordinator
 
Helmet Safety Poster  – please feel free to post this information around your neighborhood or place of business.
 
Traffic crashes as deadly as malaria, tuberculosis