With the convergence of Halloween festivities, the termination of Daylight Savings Time this Sunday, and the onset of darker, stormier weather, the streets of Portland beckon with both celebration and caution. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has issued a warning, advising everyone to be extra vigilant as they navigate the city streets. According to the City of Portland, Oregon, pedestrian crashes tend to dramatically escalate from summer into winter, citing an average rise from 14.5 incidents in July to a stark 28 come December, over 10 years through 2022.
Driving conditions, compounded by the end of daylight saving, exacerbate the visibility issues that both pedestrians and drivers often wrongly assume are non-existent after nightfall. Several hindrances are inherently structured into the very builds of cars, like the A-pillar or wet windshields, which make it trying for drivers to maintain clear vision, as detailed by the City of Portland. Complicating matters, areas that lack sufficient lighting cast shadows on potential perils, casting everything into dangerous low visibility. The reminder to slow down, to be on high alert, arrives in the wake of reports highlighting a spike in hit-and-run driving post-pandemic, with hit-and-run drivers contributing to 24% of pedestrian deaths nationally.
There's a particular peril to be wary of on Portland's High Crash Network streets. In what's described as one of the most common pedestrian crash types, individuals are struck whilst lawfully using crosswalks by left-turning drivers. “When people are turning left they drive faster because they have a wider radius than with right turns, drivers often cut the centerline when turning left, and the car frame creates a blind spot," notes the City of Portland, Oregon. Improving visibility and moderating turning speeds might just be key measures that can help to reduce these incidents.
