1. Nobody wants to run over a child or community member. But it happens.
How can we prevent it?
We all deserve safe streets
by Corvallis Right of Way

2. Thank you for having
Corvallis Right of Way
at your event.

3. What causes crashes between people who drive, bicycle, and walk?
We found out!!
We read 4 years of police crash reports.
Now we know what to focus on.

4. We can only improve if we know what to focus on.
Focus on the Five
Focusing on the Top Five problems is mandated by the general theory of traffic safety. Communities around the country do this, Oregon State Police does this for vehicles, and we do it in Corvallis.

5. There is a car/bike collision every week in Corvallis.
That is too much suffering
for everyone involved.

7. Focus on the Five: car/bike crashes
Driver Fails to Yield While Turning 1
Turn your head before you turn your wheels. Only 1/3 of drivers check if the path is clear before turning.
Ensure bike lanes and sidewalks are clear before entering.
We must legally signal turns 100 feet in advance.
Understand this is why cyclists are taught to ride in the center of traffic lanes and avoid bike lanes.
Turning cars yield to bicycles

8. Focus on the Five: car/bike crashes2
Driver Fails to Yield To Rider in Bike Lane
Bike lane traffic has similar right-of-way over cars as a locomotive on railroad tracks.
Ensure bike lanes are clear before entering. Ensure the position of your car keeps bike lane traffic clear. This includes yielding before entering/exiting a parking space.
Understand this is why cyclists are taught to ride in traffic lanes and avoid bike lanes.

9. Driver Fails to Obey Traffic Control Device
Focus on the Five: car/bike crashes 3
Driver Fails to Obey Traffic Control Device
Expect there to be bikes and pedestrians at every intersection before rolling through.
The law requires us to stop behind the signs.

10. Driver Fails to Yield to Cyclist in Sidewalk or Crosswalk
Focus on the Five: car/bike crashes 4
Driver Fails to Yield to Cyclist in Sidewalk or Crosswalk
Look BOTH WAYS before driving through a sidewalk or crosswalk.
When exiting a driveway or parking lot, come to a complete stop before sidewalk and look to see it’s clear to proceed. ORS

11. Cyclist Fails to Obey Traffic Control Device
Focus on the Five: car/bike crashes 5
Cyclist Fails to Obey Traffic Control Device
Expect there to be cars, pedestrians, and other cyclists at every intersection before rolling through.
The law requires us to stop behind the signs.

12. Close/aggressive passing of cyclists is as dangerous as DUI
What about bicycle fatalities? =
Close/aggressive passing of cyclists is as dangerous as DUI
DUI is #1 cause of car fatality and aggressive passing is #1 cause of bike fatality.
Both should be thought of equivalently. If you wouldn’t do one, avoid the other equally.

13. Focus on the #1 cause of cyclist death
How do you pass a bicyclist? As you would a car: slow, use turn signals, change lanes.
“If you cannot pass safely, you must slow down and remain behind the bicycle until it is safe to pass.” - Oregon Drivers Manual
Situations illegal to pass any vehicle: where visibility is limited (curves, hills) or where there's not enough room (intersections, narrow neighborhoods).
When behind a cyclist, kill a bit of time rather than the person cycling.

14. There is a car-pedestrian crash every few weeks in Corvallis.
That is too much suffering
for everyone involved.

15. Focus on the Five…er Two
Just two behaviors dominate this list. Focusing on those will addresses the majority of pedestrian crashes.

16. Driver Fails to Yield to Pedestrian in Sidewalk or Crosswalk.
Focus on the Two: car/pedestrians crashes 1
Driver Fails to Yield to Pedestrian in Sidewalk or Crosswalk.
Look BOTH WAYS before driving through a sidewalk or crosswalk.
When exiting a driveway or parking lot, come to a complete stop before sidewalk and look to see it’s clear to proceed. ORS

17. Focus on the Two: car/pedestrian crashes
Driver Fails to Yield While Turning 2
Ensure sidewalks and crosswalks are clear before entering.
This is why educated pedestrians cross mid-block rather than at corners. It’s why city planners placed flashing crosswalks mid-block rather than at corners.
Notice the pattern. Turning is also the top cause of crashes with cars and bicycles. We are most likely to crash into anything when we turn.

18. What about pedestrian fatalities?

19. Focus on the #1 cause of pedestrian fatality
Pedestrian Fails To Yield to Vehicle When Crossing Mid-Block
Wait, didn’t you just say to cross mid-block to avoid
getting hit?
Crossing mid-block reduces your chance of getting hit but has higher injury severity if you don’t make it across.
How do you do it? Are you more risk-adverse to getting hit or injury severity? How do you choose for your children?

20. Any questions?

21. To learn more about these issues or about us
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To learn more about these issues or about us
To learn more, take a traffic class from one of the great instructors in town. Adults can benefit more than teenagers.