Increase In Pedestrians Hit By Cars On Highway 101

According to reports from Oregon State Police, there have been at least 3 car accidents involving pedestrians in the last couple of weeks. Just after midnight on August 2^nd Oregon State Police responded to a vehicle vs pedestrian crash near boiler bay north of Depoe Bay on highway 101. The pedestrian was taken to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis for their injuries.

On August 4th just after 10pm, a motor vehicle accident was reported on highway101 near the junction with highway 229. Investigation showed a northbound red Dodge SUV struck a pedestrian in the roadway. The pedestrian was transported to Samaritan North Lincoln hospital then was flown by life flight to Legacy Emanual hospital in Portland. A reconstruction was performed on scene. The highway was shut down for approximately three hours.

Then on August 7^th just before 2pm another car vs Pedestrian crash occurred on US-101 near Cape Perpetua. The pedestrian was reported to have been walking in the highway yelling at passing motorists before being struck by a travel trailer. The pedestrian was transported by Life Flight to Corvallis for their injuries. Law enforcement remind pedestrians to not walk in the roadways, stay to the side and if you are walking at night be sure to wear bright clothing or carry a light so you can be seen.

The Lincoln City police department recently completed a Pedestrian Crosswalk enforcement on August 5th. Lincoln City Police Sgt Anderson said the event was a pretty active one. "We had four officer chase cars involved, including our Patrol Lieutenant, as this is a pretty important safety issue for the City. In total, we stopped 26 vehicles during the event, 2 for Mobile Device Use, and 24 for Failure To Stop for a Pedestrian in a Crosswalk, resulting in 16 citations issued and one suspended driver’s license seized."

This event took place at the crosswalk next to the new Wecoma Place Apartments at NE 29^th St and Highway 101. It should be noted that during the event, residents from that apartment were also trying to use the crosswalk, and two of these traffic stops resulted from drivers not stopping for those residents. Sgt Anderson said they even educated drivers on unmarked crosswalk rules. "We had six drivers stop, thankfully, and then begin yelling at our decoy walker, scolding her for not using a crosswalk. We verbally educated those drivers on Oregon’s crosswalk rules."

This crosswalk enforcement program had stark contrasts compared to the last event, which was held at a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) controlled crosswalk in which officers had no violations for failure to yield to pedestrians, stressing the importance of roadway design and engineering in pedestrian safety.

As these crosswalks cross a state highway, those improvements are generally beyond the control of the cities. This intersection, where the last enforcement was held on NE 29th, did have bright yellow ADA-compliant truncated dome curb ramps, as well as concrete sidewalk bump-outs, accentuating its location. Law enforcement emphasizes that pedestrians should indicate a clear intent to cross at the crosswalk, or a corner-to-corner unmarked crosswalk and drivers need to pay attention and not drive distracted.