Ray Thomas (Contributor)
Stories by Ray Thomas (Contributor)
What you should know about Oregon’s new distracted driving law
It’s good news for road safety advocates.
Get Legal with Ray Thomas: Passing on the right from a rider’s perspective
Knowing how to legally pass on the right can help you get to your destination faster and help you breathe easier.(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland) Today’s article will try to clear up confusion about how and when you are legally permitted to pass another vehicle operator on the right side of the roadway. While Oregon law … Read more
Get Legal with Ray Thomas: What you need to know about hit and run
(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland) Hit and runs are far too common in Oregon. Unfortunately, so is the feeling of helplessness about what to do about them. In the spirit that knowledge equals power, I’ve put together a primer on the laws surrounding hit and runs and what do to if you are ever involved in … Read more
Get Legal: Being “nice” is dangerous and could make you at fault in a collision
Please stop being nice. It only makes the roads more dangerous.
Get Legal: Auto insurance, biking, walking, and you
How do auto insurance policies impact our legal rights while bicycling and walking? Attorney Charley Gee breaks it down.
Doored? The law is on your side (but that might not be enough)
When it comes to getting doored, thankfully the law is on your side.
Get legal with Ray Thomas: How to fight for your property damage claim (Part 2)
This is the second (and final) part of an in-depth article by lawyer Ray Thomas on how to deal with property damage claims after your bike gets mangled.
Get legal with Ray Thomas: How to fight for your property damage claim (Part 1)
Now what? (Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland) (Publisher’s Note: We’ve split this article into two parts because Ray is an authority on this topic and he gets into some important details. Come back tomorrow for the finale. Also worth mentioning is that Ray’s firm, Swanson, Thomas, Coon & Newton, is a BikePortland advertiser and this column … Read more
Get Legal with Ray Thomas: Oregon’s ‘Safe Passing’ law explained
Bike lawyer Ray Thomas breaks down Oregon’s “safe passing law” in this final installment of our three-part series.
Get Legal with Ray Thomas: Passing around centerline myths and riding ‘two-up’
This is part two of our three-part series on Oregon’s passing laws written by our legal correspondent Ray Thomas.
Get Legal with Ray Thomas: Bicycling and Oregon’s passing laws
The legal side of getting passed.(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland) Welcome to part one of a three part series on Oregon’s passing laws. Trying to decipher Oregon’s passing laws are a perfect example of how it’s often difficult to know when (and how) a particular vehicle law applies to someone riding a bicycle. Confusion about application … Read more