Time To Roll Back The Clocks

Clocks move back one hour on Sunday, Nov. 1, which means people traveling in the early evening hours will experience darker conditions than before.

Dark conditions are linked to increased crash risk, especially for pedestrians. Portland crash data show an uptick in pedestrian crashes in fall and winter months, peaking at an average of more than 250 pedestrian crashes each December.

Pedestrian safety is a focus of ODOT's Vision Zero work to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries. We are taking a number of actions to protect pedestrians and other travelers.

Pedestrian crash data by month shows dark months are more dangerous

People driving collide with pedestrians more frequently in fall and winter in Portland. (Data: Oregon Department of Transportation, 2006-2015)

People traveling on Portland streets can reduce the risk of getting hurt or hurting others by:

  • Traveling at or below the speed limit,
  • Always turning on headlights,
  • Keeping windshields clean,
  • Avoiding distractions, and
  • Doing your best to be visible when traveling outside of a motor vehicle.

People over age 60 may have a hard time driving safely at night, and may want to consider limiting themselves to daytime driving, if possible.

Source: Oregon Department of Transportation


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