Addressing Oregon’s Rise in Deaths and Serious Injuries for Senior Drivers and Pedestrians

Christopher Monsere, Portland State University

Co-investigators:

Summary:

The research reviewed best practices, identified overrepresentations of serious crashes involving older drivers and pedestrians using Oregon crash data, and mapped the best practices and countermeasures. From 2013 to 2016, there were 884 older driver and 112 older pedestrian fatal and serious injury crashes. Older driver fatal and serious injury crashes most often occurred between 3 to 6 p.m., on Mondays, on rural principal arterials, at intersections, and within 20 miles of a driver’s home. Fixed-object, turning-movement crashes were the most frequent crash types. Not at fault, not yielding the right-of-way, and speeding too fast for conditions were the most frequent driver-level causes. Older pedestrian fatal and serious injury crashes most often occurred between 3 to 6 p.m., on Friday, at intersections. Crossing between intersections and crossing at an intersection without a traffic signal was the most frequent pedestrian action. Crash proportions were statistically different for the time of day, day of the week, roadway classification, and various participant-level crash causes. A population-based crash rate analysis found county-level differences in older driver fatal and serious injury crashes in Oregon (Harney) and for pedestrians (Baker, Morrow, Curry, Hood River, Umatilla, and Washington). Using a comprehensive list of potential countermeasures and input from key stakeholders at a workshop, specific recommendations were generated to improve older driver and pedestrian safety. The priority focus areas were identified for older drivers as intersections, rural principal arterials, and licensing and education. For older pedestrians, treatments to improve pedestrian visibility and illumination, manage left turns, and to shorten crossing distances were recommended.

Project Details

Project Type:
Research
Project Status:
Completed
End Date:
June 01,2020
UTC Grant Cycle:
non-UTC project