According to an annual Roadway Report, Oregon ranks as one of the states with the best safety and legal framework in regards to transportation. Oregon transportation safety laws cover seat belt usage, helmet wearing, and restriction of cell phone use, and much more. However, in spite of the safety laws, the state has recorded a surprising number of injuries, and even deaths caused by accidents and vehicle crashes on freeways, highways, and city streets.
With more drivers, bikers, and pedestrians, more people are being injured in Oregon accidents than ever before. Not only are more crashes taking place, but an increasing number of vehicle accidents have caused severe injuries, physical impairments, and deaths, especially in the past decade.
Here at Johnson Law, we carried out detailed research; analyzing this growing trend in accidents and personal injuries in Oregon crashes in the last ten years.
The captured data are in compliance with all National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the American National Standards Institute criteria.
The purpose of our Oregon crash statistics is to understand the trend in auto crashes in Oregon, the cause of the crashes, and the impact of the crash on lives and properties.
Numerical values are based on:
- Official traffic records from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT)
- Police accident investigation reports
- Self-reported crash information
Information Revealed by the Statistics
The highest number of crashes was recorded in 2016, compared to previous years with 55,156 crashes. This number indicates a significant increase in the number of auto crashes from 2007 to 2015, which was less than 50,000. Cases of personal injuries and deaths recorded also increased from 41,754 and 445 in 2015 to 44,628 and 498 in 2016 respectively.
After 2007, fatal crashes decreased reasonably until 2015 and 2016 with almost 450 fatal crashes recorded in 2016, and a significant increase in the number of non-fatal crashes in the same year, which indicates a rising trend in total crashes between 2009 and 2016. Property damage, people killed, and people injured also show a rising trend in 2016 after a significant drop between 2009 and 2014. In general, 2016 recorded the highest value in trucks, dry/wet, day/dark, off-road, and intersection-related crashes.
By analyzing the crash statistics, we can see that 42% of all crashes happened in intersections, while a whopping 74% of the crashes involved people injured, which is a huge cause for concern.
What It All Implies
It has been a growing trend in the past decade; personal injuries from auto accidents and death from fatal auto crashes. From 2013 to 2016, for example, deaths from crashes have increased by over 57% nationwide.
While it may be misleading to blame this negative trend on highway and auto safety only, it is also possible that some of these crashes are because of certain legislative laws, and many people have been victims of the growing accident rate in Portland, Oregon.
It is interesting to note that only about 4% of personal injury cases get to trials. Most crash victims do not even know how to go about their rights in demanding fair compensation for personal injuries from auto accidents or death from fatal crashes. Schedule a free consultation with us for any legal assistance.
