Drunk Driving

December 31, 2013

Happy New Year – Drive Carefully

As we enter the New Year’s holiday period let me add my voice to the many out there reminding everyone to be safe and act responsibly tonight and tomorrow.

Throughout the country – perhaps even the world – New Year’s Eve and the days surrounding it have a reputation for being a particularly dangerous time to be on the roads. People overindulge and then get behind the wheel – sometimes consciously, more often simply without thinking clearly. The results are a danger not only to themselves and their passengers but also to everyone else on the road.

According to the Oregon State Police, during last year’s 102-hour ‘holiday reporting period’ (6pm on December 28 through midnight on January 1) “12 people died in four separate fatal traffic crashes on Oregon roads… The 12 fatalities, including 9 deaths in (a) December 30 bush crash, equals the highest number reported previously two different years – 1998 and 1999, during this holiday period since 1970 when ODOT began to gather these statistics.” The fatal bus crash on Deadman’s Pass in the east of the state led to a federal investigation and, as I noted at the time, raised significant Oregon wrongful death issues.

September 18, 2013

Oregon Drunk Driving Suspected in Malheur Crash

by Matthew D. Kaplan

Police are investigating a suspected fatal Oregon drunk driving car crash in the east of the state, according to a report by an Idaho TV station that covers the region. According to KIVI a 41-year old man from Vale, in the easternmost part of Oregon, died last week in the crash on Highway 20, in rural Malheur County.

According to the TV station the victim “was headed eastbound on Highway 20 on September 15th when his vehicle crossed into the westbound lane and collided with a semi-trailer… according to police (the driver) was likely under the influence of intoxicants after a citizen report matching his vehicle was called into dispatch before the accident.”

There are several lessons we can take away from this tragedy. The first, and most obvious, is the unnecessary damage to so many lives that drunk driving causes. I’ve written on many previous occasions about the dangers that large semi-trucks pose on the roads of Eastern Oregon. In this case, however, a driver who was doing nothing wrong had his life, and potentially the lives of other drivers and passengers in the vicinity, put in danger by someone else’s irresponsible conduct.

August 13, 2013

Washington Court Says Rules Apply to the Government Too

by Matthew D. Kaplan

It’s a cliché: safety is everyone’s responsibility. It is also, however, true, and that fact was reinforced last week by Washington State’s Supreme Court. According to an Associated Press dispatch, republished by The Oregonian, the court held that “cities, counties and utility companies can be liable when faulty road design leads to injuries in car crashes – even when the driver is drunk.”

According to the news agency the case focused on a crash near Anacortes. “Two people who had been drinking were injured when their car ran off the road and struck a utility pole that was reportedly closer to the roadway than guidelines dictated.” In overturning a lower court ruling the state Supreme Court held that “government entities owe a duty to ensure roads are reasonably safe for public travel, no matter whether the driver is at fault,” according to the AP.

Obviously this is not, and ought not to be taken as, an excuse of or license for drunk driving. Indeed, in legal terms it is important to remember that DUI is a crime regardless of whether one gets involved in an accident or not. In this instance, however, the court was addressing a bigger issue: whether a driver’s physical condition at the time of a particular accident can be used as an excuse by government or a utility company to escape responsibility for its own negligence. The court held that government and public utilities both have a broader responsibility to provide a safe environment for all users of public roadways. The bad behavior of individual drivers does not absolve the city or county from their responsibility to provide a roadway that is safe for everyone – regardless of the irresponsible behavior of some individual drivers.

March 31, 2013

Mayor, Headlines Turn Spotlight on DUII

by Matthew D. Kaplan

A New York Times report this weekend about a terrible multi-vehicle crash in Nevada is a reminder of the importance of issues Portland’s own mayor has spent the last few weeks spotlighting.

A Reuters news agency dispatch, republished by the Times, cites local law enforcement, reporting that “five members of a California family were killed in Nevada when their van was struck from behind by a teenage driver who was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.” The 18-year-old driver suffered minor injuries in the crash which reportedly happened when he rear-ended the van. In addition to the five people who died two other members of the same family were also riding in the van and were treated in area hospitals following the DUII accident. The crash took place on Interstate-15 about 80 miles north of Las Vegas.

The accident comes as Portland mayor Charlie Hales has worked to spotlight an increase in DUII incidents in our city. As a recent report in The Oregonian noted, “five of the 11 people killed in Portland traffic crashes since Jan. 1 involved people driving under the influence.” Hales has sought to use the media to publicize a situation he views with “alarm” and to remind Oregonians: “Drive sober to save lives. Doing otherwise is illegal and reckless,” the paper notes, adding that the current pace of DUII-related fatalities in Portland is well ahead of last year’s.

January 21, 2013

Oregon Car Crash Kills One

by Matthew D. Kaplan

A three-vehicle Polk County, Oregon car accident over the weekend left one man dead and five people hospitalized, according to a report in The Oregonian.

The Oregon auto accident took place in the town of Dallas, about 60 miles southwest of Portland. The newspaper, quoting the Oregon State Police, reports that the sequence of events began Saturday evening when a van driven by a man from Woodburn “was heading west when it traveled across the center line and collided” with a vehicle headed in the opposite direction on State Route 22.

The driver of the eastbound vehicle was a 69-year-old Silverton man. He was pronounced dead by paramedics responding to the accident. Two other people in the car were taken to a Salem hospital with what The Oregonian describes as “critical” injuries. The driver of the van was not seriously injured in the initial crash, but was struck by a third vehicle, a westbound pickup truck, when he stopped to assess the initial accident. He was taken to the same Salem hospital as the victims in the car and is reported to be suffering from “serious injuries.” The two people in the third vehicle were treated in McMinnville for minor injuries.

December 8, 2012

Suspected Oregon Drunk Driving Accident is a Holiday Reminder

by Matthew D. Kaplan

A single car accident in the early hours of Friday morning is calling attention to the problem of Portland drunk driving and the damage it can cause.

According to a report in The Oregonian, in the early hours of Friday “a gold four-door 1998 Toyota Corolla crashed into the overpass abutment at Northeast 33rd Avenue and Columbia Boulevard, ejecting the 34-year-old driver from the vehicle.” The paper notes that the woman wound up trapped underneath the car. After being rescued she was taken to an area hospital with what were described as “life-threatening injuries.” The newspaper quotes police sources saying that an investigation is still in progress, but that the crash appears to be alcohol-related.

While we can take some small consolation from the fact that this terrible accident involved only a single car, it also serves as a powerful reminder of the damage drunk driving can do – a reminder that is especially timely as we enter the heart of the Holiday Season. The period between Thanksgiving and the New Year is always filled with parties, visits to and from relatives and many, many opportunities to overindulge.

July 18, 2012

Fatal Canby Accident Points Toward Drunk Driving

by Matthew D. Kaplan

The death of a highway worker in Canby last week turns a spotlight both on the dangers roadside workers ensure and, once again, on the problem of Oregon drunk driving.

According to The Oregonian, a 48-year-old man who was “placing warning signs about road construction near South New Era Road near South Haines Road” died last week after he was hit by a car believed to have been driven by a drunk driver. The paper reports that the driver was taken into police custody and an investigation is under way.

This incident is a sad reminder of the importance of exercising caution around highway workers. All too often, too many drivers fail to heed warnings to slow down in construction zones or other places where road workers are present. Many drivers also fail to give roadside workers a sufficiently wide berth when passing them.

June 13, 2012

Oregon Drunk Driver Sentenced in Cyclist’s Death

by Matthew D. Kaplan

Last week a graduating University of Oregon senior was sentenced to three years in prison for the Eugene drunk driving death of a fellow student, according to the Eugene Register-Guard.

The victim, a Scot who was also attending UO, was riding his bike in a marked bike lane when he was struck from behind. The newspaper reports that in the immediate aftermath of the Oregon bike and car accident the 22-year-old driver stayed with the victim “and took responsibility for his conduct.” The driver “had a blood alcohol level about twice that in which a driver is presumed intoxicated under Oregon law,” the paper notes.

The fact that the driver did not leave the scene of the accident and had no prior drunk driving history prompted prosecutors to agree to the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide, rather than seeking a conviction for second-degree manslaughter (which would have carried a heavier mandatory sentence). The driver pled guilty as part of the agreement with the prosecutor’s office. He will also lose driving privileges for the remainder of his life.

April 20, 2012

Oregon Pedestrian and Car Accidents Can Be Avoided With Increased Awareness

by Matthew D. Kaplan

The latest newsletter from Oregon’s Department of Transportation offers a timely reminder now that spring is here: “Warmer weather and longer days naturally bring out more walkers,” it notes. “It is each individual’s responsibility to be safe – on foot or behind the wheel.”

The agency offers a dual reminder. Drivers should be aware that more people will be walking (and, though the release does not mention it, biking) with the arrival of spring and summer. That fact requires special vigilance on the part of drivers. Pedestrians, however, also need to be reminded responsibility is, so to speak, a two-way street. Situational awareness can save your life.

According to the ODOT “as of April 11, 20 pedestrians have died in vehicle related crashes” across Oregon. That number represents a 25% increase in Oregon pedestrian car crashes compared to the same time period last year. The statistic is particularly striking since, as the newsletter notes, “overall Oregon is down slightly in vehicle-related fatalities for 2012 (74 deaths so far compared to 76 at this time in 2011).”

January 7, 2012

Oregon and Washington Drunk Driving Arrests and Deaths From the 2011 Holiday Season

by Matthew D. Kaplan

With the holidays now behind us this is a good moment to pause to examine the Oregon drunk driving and Washington drunk driving statistics reported over the Christmas and New Year’s weekends. DUII/DUI crash and arrest numbers are always a sad reminder of the importance of not overindulging when one goes out to celebrate, and of the crucial role our courts play in ensuring personal accountability.

According to radio station KBND, the Oregon State Police reported “one death and 28 DUII arrests on Oregon’s roads and highways.” The comparable figures for the New Year’s period on Oregon roads were 53 arrests and two crashes resulting in three fatalities, according to a report published in The Oregonian. To our north, in Washington, troopers “arrested 161 drivers suspected of being impaired by drugs or alcohol during the Christmas holiday weekend,” according to the Tri-City Herald.

In both states the Christmas figures represent notable decreases compared with the comparable period a year earlier. The Oregon New Year’s figures, however, were up by approximately 25% over the previous year and show a 55% increase compared to two years ago.