The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation has released a new, 3 1/2 minute animated film about Oregon crosswalk laws.
The film, “Every Corner is a Crosswalk” was created to help educate Portlanders about their responsibilities when driving and walking. According to PBOT, 72% of pedestrian collisions in the Central Business District are a result of driver error and 49% of pedestrian injuries happen in a crosswalk.
In a statement released about the new animated film, PBOT also said that one in three traffic fatalities (from 1985 – 2000) is a pedestrian or a bicyclist and pedestrian injuries are the third leading cause of unintentional, injury-related death among children.
the Animated Traffic Law Center.
The film was created by the non-profit Animated Traffic Law Center. Partly based in Portland (one partner is from Eugene), the Center specializes in using graphical animations to educate people about traffic law. They are also working on a series of traffic-safety related animations that can be viewed on mobile devices.
With “Every Corner is a Crosswalk,” PBOT and the ATLC are focusing in on ORS 811.028, which states that drivers must stop and remain stopped when pedestrians are attempting to cross.
[As someone who rides a bike more than walks, I’ve often considered dismounting my bike (thus becoming a pedestrian) to try and force cross-traffic to stop. I sometimes wish ORS 811.028 was extended to include people on bikes. Aren’t bike riders just as vulnerable?]
Funding for the film came from ODOT, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and from pro bono work by the Animated Traffic Law Center.
PBOT will show the film on their website and it will be shown by Portland Parks & Recreation prior to movie screenings at their “Movies in the Park” events. Other places it will be shown include select Department of Motor Vehicle offices and community centers and other facilities around the city.
Writing on their website, the Animated Traffic Law Center said the film is devoid of text or voice-over intentionally so that it can “reach speakers of all languages.” You can download the film (including one version that’s iPhone friendly) at AnimatedTrafficLaw.org.
For more information about the film or to schedule a viewing of the film contact Sharon White, City of Portland Bureau of Transportation, at (503) 823-7100 or sharon.white@pdxtrans.org.
— Read the City of Portland’s official press release here.