I don’t have the complete breakdown of traffic crash and fatality stats for 2006 yet, but from what I’ve gleaned so far the numbers show an encouraging downward trend.
Here are some factoids to think about:
- There were zero bike fatalities in 2006. That’s down from four in 2005.
- There were 28 total traffic fatalities in 2006, down from 33 in 2005, and 47 for 2003.
- The Traffic Division made 1,524 DUII arrests in 2006 compared with 1,244 in 2005.
- The Traffic Divsion investigated 1,629 collisions (both bike and car) in 2006 compared with 738 in 2005.
On a similar note, the map below shows a clear drop in bicycle crashes in relation to increased bike traffic. It only has numbers up to 2005, but the trend continued in 2006:
I realize stats don’t always tell the entire story and that fatalities often have much to do with fate. Even so, I also know there’s a lot of work being done to make Portland’s streets safer for everyone and it’s encouraging to see a downward trend in these numbers.
Everyone involved in the all-important “four E’s” of education, engineering, encouragement and enforcement deserve a lot of credit for this.
Let’s hope 2007 continues the trend.