New safety campaign sheds light on visibility
As part of the Eye to Eye traffic safety campaign, the Portland Police Bureau’s Traffic Division and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance have formed a partnership to educate new cyclists regarding good visibility practices and bike light laws.
The BTA kicked off the project on Friday, September 26, at the “Seven Corners” intersection of SE Division, SE Ladd, and SE 20th by serving “Mocktails” (nonalcoholic beverages) and giving cyclists information about lights and visibility. The launch will be followed by other outreach events by the BTA and targeted bike light education and enforcement actions by the Portland Police Bureau’s Traffic Division.
In the actions slated to begin the first week of October, police will educate cyclists about light laws, install free lights (possible through an ODOT grant), and give cyclists other safety information. After the initial education missions, police will re-emphasize the message of safety by issuing tickets to cyclists riding after dusk without proper lights.
ORS 815.280 states that “a bicycle or its rider must be equipped with lighting equipment… during limited visibility conditions… (that) must show a white light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the front of the bicycle… (and) a red reflector or lighting device… visible from all distances up to 600 feet to the rear…” A violation of these requirements has a maximum fine of $90.
There are more new cyclists than ever on the roads and many people have only a rear red light, and not a front white light. Not only is this the reverse of what the law requires, it is also ineffective. People are afraid of being hit from behind, and believe they can prevent crashes with things in front of them, but they really can’t.
All of the top six types of bike crashes in Portland involve someone in front of, or to the side of, the bicyclist (like right hooks, left hooks, and T-bone crashes). Fewer than 10% of bike crashes nationwide involve a bicyclist being hit from behind. The front light is the most important light.
The Bike Light Education and Enforcement Project is part of the Eye to Eye campaign, a multi-city campaign that aims to foster awareness and respect on shared paths and roadways, making the streets of our communities safer for everyone. The Eye to Eye campaign brings together a coalition of partners representing all road users to bring important safety information to the public. More information can be found at www.SeeingEyetoEye.org
Possibly Related
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- September 2008: Vol 17 No 7: September 2008
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To be honest, I’m not quite sure I agree that the from light is the most important. I say this because a few weeks back I got smacked in the right arm by a wing mirror, from someone who obviously hadn’t seen me until the last second.
Fair enough, the light was failing, and I should accept that I was partly to blame for not having my rear light attached, but it goes to show that rear lights are definitely not unimportant. On the other hand, you should argue that the idiot driver would not have seen me if I’d had a flashing blue light attached to my head, but I guess I’ll never know…