Are collisions starting to decline in Oregon? The data so far has shown that between 2009 and 2013, crashes continued to be more common than in the past. If you’ve been hit, this information could be able to help you while you discuss your case, since you can see the kinds of vehicles most likely to cause collisions.
In 2009, the month with the most crashes was December with 4,250. Similarly, in 2013, that number rose to 5,002. The month with the least crashes in 2009 was February with 2,790; in 2013, February also had the least amount of crashes, but they had risen to 3,179.
Does the number of crashes correlate with the number of injuries or fatalities? In 2009, crashes in December led to 2,635 injuries, while 2013 saw 2,974 injuries. In February, 1,868 people were injured in 2009, while 1,953 were injured in 2013. Interestingly, deaths in December have dropped, with 39 in 2009 and 19 in 2013.
Maybe most telling is the fact that although the number of crashes has risen and the number of injured people in these collisions has also grown, the number of fatalities has dropped. This could be because of better safety features or good traffic enforcement techniques.
Which vehicles are the most likely to be involved in a crash? Those on the state highways. Most collisions took place there, with 21,413 crashes on the highway in 2013. Truck accidents were the next highest in the data set; trucks were involved in 2,015 collisions. The only other vehicle even close to that number was a motorcycle, which was involved in around 1,036 crashes, nearly 1,000 fewer than trucks. For injuries, motorcyclists top the list with 1,032 people injured in 2013, while pedestrian accidents resulted in the most deaths with 53 deaths in 2013.
Source: Oregon.gov, “2013 Oregon Traffic Crash Summary,” accessed April 01, 2016