As vehicles become more autonomous, we are already seeing cars equipped with headlights that automatically adjust to a car’s position to keep lights on the road ahead and not in the eyes of other drivers. Adaptive headlights react to the steering, speed and elevation of the car, and automatically adjust to give the driver a…
While planes will be grounded or restricted from flying into fogged in airports, motorists venture out onto roads with restricted visibility due to fog, snow, smoke, or dust particles in the air. Fog lights present on most vehicles, when properly installed both front and rear, safely illuminate the road ahead in these conditions and make…
Year after year, motorcycles have a higher rate of fatal accidents than automobiles or trucks and buses. Because rider judgment and skill are critical in avoiding motorcycle accidents and fatalities, the Team Oregon Motorcycle Safety Program (Team Oregon) continues to train over 8000 Oregon cyclists a year in safe riding procedures. Team Oregon Partners with ODOT and Oregon State…
The finale of 2016 brought Portland some heavy bouts of snow that led to several traffic accidents throughout the city. While it’s advised to stay indoors as much as possible when road conditions are snowy, driving in thick snow may be unavoidable if you’re looking to partake in winter sports like skiing and snowboarding. There…
Traditionally, if you were visiting Oregon from a northern state having never driven in a Portland winter, you would have been shocked to discover that the city took a firm stand against using rock salt on roads, especially while making the transition from neighboring California, Idaho, or Nevada. While salt is widely used throughout the…
Winter without snow just doesn’t seem right to those who aren’t familiar with the very real disruptions a white winter causes. Tourists who have never seen snow before don’t know about icy roads, freezing rain, and staying indoors for days on end. Just one good snow storm can be enough to keep an entire town locked up…
There is a 7:1 size differential between cars and bicycles, so drivers may not see you to avoid a collision, or if they see you they may not know that, as a cyclist, you have the same right to use the roadway as they do. With rights come responsibilities. Section 814.400 of the Oregon Revised Statutes…
The number of commercial trucks on Portland roads has ballooned since the closing of the Port’s main terminals. Although trucks are vastly outnumbered by cars, the sheer size and weight of just one 18-wheeler or semi truck on Portland roads likens them to a trail of woolly mammoths on wheels. In fact, to be more precise, you…
Congress in December 2016 showed that it favors deregulation over safety when it blocked Obama administration safety rules aimed at keeping tired truckers off the roads. It also pledged to try to block state laws that require additional rest breaks for truckers beyond what federal rules require when it meets in January. Congress Rolls Back…
With no response to its January 13, 2016 petition to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to require cars to use Automatic Braking System (AEB), Consumer Watchdog, the Center for Auto Safety and Joan Claybrook, former NHTSA administrator and president emeritus of Public Citizen filed suit on November 23, 2016. The lawsuit claims the defendants violated…