With warmer weather, let’s talk about bike and pedestrian safety

As spring quickly approaches, an important goal for Beaverton residents is promoting pedestrian and bike safety. In Oregon the leading cause of pedestrian accidents is driver error, especially not yielding to people in crosswalks. Nationwide, about 40 percent of all traffic deaths involve pedestrians. Note: Oregon has one of the highest bike accident rates in the country.

For drivers, reduce accidents by following basic rules: reduce speed, use turn signals, use headlight in low light, rainy or in low visibility. Many accidents are caused by distracted driving (doing other things when driving—especially texting). Some surprising statistics are that nearly 60 percent of all accidents happen during the day, and 85 percent of all accidents involve speeds over 35mph. Drivers also need to be aware of visibility factors, especially in neighborhoods where bushes and trees often block the view at an intersection.

In addition to enforcing rules of the road for drivers, pedestrians and bikers can do a number of things to help protect themselves, especially children and older adults who are at a greater risk:

• Pedestrians need to use sidewalks, and if none are available, then walk facing the traffic and not with your back to on-coming traffic.
• When it is dark or visibility is low, wear reflective clothing and use a headlight or flashlight.
• If walking a dog, be sure to use a reflective leash and/or collar.
• Bikers need to wear a helmet at all times and keep both hands on the handlebar. Avoid using a cell phone as this prevents full control of the bike and is a large distraction.
• Wear reflective gear at night or when visibility is low
• Have a headlight and rear reflectors.

Awareness is a critical factor in pedestrian and bike safety. This means stop or reduce cell phone usage (don’t text or using ear buds) and avoid “jay-walking” by using cross streets at intersections (wait until all traffic has stopped in both directions). Being aware significantly reduces pedestrian and bicycle accidents.

To help Beaverton residents benefit from reduced pedestrian and bike accidents, the community must come together. Community groups, such as non-profits, schools, religious groups and neighborhood associations, should engage in educating their members. Safety programs can be created to educate children as well as adults. In addition, some programs could be created to have children educate their peers. These safety teams would ensure that Beaverton children become much more aware.

My grandmotherly idea is to perhaps train or “certify “children in pedestrian and bike safety. Then, they could be rewarded by being able to give “tickets” to those who do not follow the rules. Working together, we can keep Beaverton a safe place for pedestrians and bikers.

A good city resource is the Bicycle Advisory Committee which meets every second Thursday of the month, 6:30 – 8:30pm at City Hall.

Nancy Neal Yeend is a local grandmother, a retired Realtor, and mediator/dispute management strategist. She enjoys going to parks, identifying birds and visiting memory care facilities with her Therapy Dog.