Auto accident fatalities are, as Portland Mayor Keith Wilson recently pointed out, a “fully preventable cause of death.” Optimized highway and roadway safety requires cooperation and collaboration between drivers and government authorities — the former must observe safe driving practices, while the latter must ensure safe infrastructure. Even as state and local leaders work to improve roadway and highway infrastructure, auto accidents (and fatalities) are still a problem. If you have lost a loved one as a result of a fatal auto accident, you have many pathways you will need to navigate to get the financial recovery you should receive. This may include interactions with the civil justice system, insurance companies, and more. As you work through this process, having legal representation provided by a knowledgeable Oregon auto accident lawyer can be integral to holding the responsible parties accountable and recovering everything you should.
Earlier this month, OregonLive reported on some good news regarding fatal auto accidents in this area. The Portland Bureau of Transportation recently announced that last year the city logged 39 traffic deaths, a 38% decline from the average of the last four years.
Traffic fatalities began spiking in 2019, when the number climbed to 50 from 35 the year before. (That 35 figure in 2018 marked the last time Portland had fewer than 50 traffic deaths before this year’s total of 39.) In each succeeding year, the number rose still higher, topping out at 69 deaths in 2023.
Another bit of positive news is that the number of pedestrian deaths is also trending in the right direction, although not as sharply as other traffic deaths. In 2022, 28 of the 62 deaths in Portland were pedestrians. Since then, the number of pedestrians to die in Portland has dipped to 24 in 2023, 22 in 2024, and 20 last year.
One area where the news was especially positive was East Portland. As OregonLive noted, the area east of Interstate 205 is home to “many of the city’s most dangerous roads and intersections.” Last year, only 11 people died in East Portland crashes. That number had been 20 or greater each year from 2019 to 2024. The 11 figure represented a 56% drop over the four-year average of 25 logged from 2021 to 2024.
One specific area where both the government and drivers can play a role is safe driving. The government can help by enforcing laws against illegal driving practices such as reckless driving, speeding, and impaired driving. Last year, according to the Portland Bureau of Transportation, Portland police made more than 220 arrests for driving under the influence of intoxicants. They also issued more than 7,500 citations. Portland logged zero drunk-driving-related traffic deaths during last year’s holiday periods, which is normally when such deaths peak.
Progress in Portland and ‘Vision Zero’
The city remains committed to Vision Zero, which is “an operating structure that seeks to eliminate traffic fatalities through infrastructure changes and police enforcement.” The mayor issued a statement that extolled the significant progress made in the last few years but also noted that more work lies ahead. The mayor expressed pride in “the lifesaving progress we’ve made. Even so, we cannot forget that 39 of our neighbors were lost last year to a fully preventable cause of death.”
Drivers obviously play an integral role. Drivers can enhance their safety (and that of everyone else on the road) by avoiding dangerous driving habits. This includes a wide array of practices that too many people engage in, like speeding, aggressive driving/road rage, unsafe turns, passing, and lane changes, reckless driving, distracted driving, drowsy driving, driving under the influence, and more.
If your loved one lost their life because someone else drove negligently, because someone negligently constructed a roadway in an unsafe manner — or both — you need a skilled legal advocate on your side as you tackle the multi-faceted process that lies ahead. The experienced Oregon auto accident attorneys at Kaplan Law LLC have an extensive track record of helping injured people and their families to get justice and hold wrongdoers accountable for their negligence. To learn more, call (503) 226-3844 today or contact us online to schedule your free consultation.