Most distracted driving deaths don’t involve cell phone use, study says
“Lost in thought” was the main cause of fatal distracted driving accidents, according to a new study. Erie Insurance looked at 2 years of U.S. police reports for more than 65,000 fatal car accidents:...
View ArticlePolice and pedestrians
In Oregon, every intersection is a crosswalk. Many have no signal. Some are unmarked. And drivers complain that it can be difficult to see pedestrians on corners, and to gauge their intent to cross....
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Use a voice-to-text app while driving? Don’t bother
* This post originally appeared on the Legal Examiner. Yesterday, I spoke to a great group of students at a Beaverton, Oregon high school about distracted driving. As part of the EndDD.org presentation...
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Come to Safe Kids Day at the Oregon Zoo
Saturday, May 4, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., the Oregon Zoo will host the 15th Annual Safe Kids Day. Safe Kids Day is a fun and interactive safety event about preventing common childhood injuries – and it is...
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Watching for riders
May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, a national project to encourage vehicles and motorcyclists to “share the road” with each other. Motorcycle fatalities represent 14% of total highway deaths...
View ArticleInsurance companies should play by the same rules
May 8 is an important day in the Oregon legislature: the Senate has a chance to stop the insurance industry’s unfair exemption from the Unlawful Trade Practices Act. Erik Kancler of Bend posted this at...
View ArticleShould drivers who hit pedestrians face tougher penalties?
A new report from the Center for Investigative Reporting finds that most drivers responsible for striking and killing pedestrians are not jailed – or even ticketed. The San Francisco Bay Area,...
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Do you drive with your dog in your lap?
The two best reasons to keep your dog in the backseat Minimizing Distractions A driver in Beaverton, Oregon is fighting a $160 citation issued by a police officer who spotted her driving with her dog...
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World Elder Abuse Awareness Day: June 15
Millions of elderly people are patients in nursing homes and long-term care facilities – and they deserve to be safe. What is elder abuse? Elder abuse refers to any intentional or negligent act by a...
View ArticleOregon to provide data on norovirus in nursing homes
The Oregon Health Authority is releasing records on outbreaks of norovirus at hundreds of nursing homes and care facilities. While it’s not unusual for norovirus to strike elderly or vulnerable...
View ArticleThe real problem with red light cameras
The city of Beaverton, Oregon is locally renowned for diligent enforcement of traffic laws. Between traffic officers and red light cameras, more than 33,000 citations were issued last year. For...
View ArticleNew Safety Rules in Effect for Trucks
As of July 1, truckers are required to take a 30-minute break in the first 8 hours of driving. Truck drivers’ maximum hours per work-week are reduced from 82 to 70. They must also take a 34-hour...
View ArticleSexual abuse in hospitals?
In Oregon alone, the last two years have yielded several high-profile cases of sexual abuse in nursing homes, hospitals, and even in ambulances. Is the culture of silence contributing to the increase...
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Police plan to reduce pedestrian accidents
Pedestrians hit by cars are usually struck in the crosswalk, with the signal on their side. This is grim news, as the most-cited advice for walkers is to use the marked crosswalks when crossing the...
View ArticleSafety vs. Privacy: the black box dilemma
Event data recorders – “black boxes” - will be standard on every new car sold in the U.S. by the end of 2014. Black boxes do not run all the time, but record your car’s information during a crash,...
View ArticleVideo shows drivers reacting to new highway lane
A new traffic pattern on Portland’ has resulted in a lot of near-miss collisions. ODOT removed an extra middle lane coming up to the junction of westbound I-84 and I-5. Drivers going north on I-5...
View ArticleCorporate elder care that won’t let patients out
This blog post was first published on legalexaminer.com Understaffed, under-regulated assisted living facilities have been caught using dangerous processes to meet residency goals. See more from...
View ArticleCar insurance companies fined for overcharging customers
Washington drivers were over-charged by more than $1 million for car insurance from 2009-2013. Hartford Accident and Indemnity, Hartford Casualty Insurance, Hartford Insurance Co. of the Midwest, and...
View ArticleBack-to-school safety
Four quick safety reminders for parents of children heading back to school in the next week: If you haven’t talked to your kids about bullies all summer, it’s time for a refresher. Bullying is a threat...
View ArticleDon’t text and driver – and don’t text a driver.
A court in New Jersey ruled that someone who knowingly distracts a driver by text message could be held at least partially responsible if that text results in a car crash. Case Background A teenager...
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