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~ ~1/~ <br /> October 30, 2 07 <br /> CONTACT: Tom Larsen, Traffic Engineer, 541-682-4959 <br /> From Public I formation Section, 682-5523 or 954-2938 <br /> FOR IMMEDI TE RELEASE <br /> ' ew Report Summarizes 2006 Crash Data on Eugene's Streets <br /> There ere fewer crashes on Eugene streets in 2006, but there tended to be more injuries <br /> I <br /> associated wit those crashes, according to records recently compiled by the Eugene Public Works <br /> Department u ing information provided by the Oregon Department of Transportation. <br /> Accor ing to the latest crash study, which includes only those crashes reported to the Oregon <br /> ~ Department o Motor Vehicles in 2006, there were 1,905 crashes in Eugene, compared with 1,928 <br /> reported eras es in 2005. The study also found 742 crashes involving injuries in 2006, compared to <br /> 620 injury cra hes in 2005. Over the past 10 years, Eugene has averaged around 2,098 crashes and <br /> 726 injury cra hes per year. <br /> Then tuber of fatalities (5) and crashes involving cyclists (60) and pedestrians (29) declined <br /> in 2006, but t e numbers are small, and trends are not considered to be statistically significant. <br /> "Despi a the fact that Eugene's streets are busier than they were 10 years ago, we continue to <br /> see fewer cra hes than we did back in the late 1990s," said Tom Larsen, the City's traffic engineer. <br /> "Still, the fact hat we continue to average almost 2,000 crashes a year, many of them involving <br /> injuries, unde scores the importance of being careful whether you're driving, riding a bike or walking." <br /> Over. t e past 10 years, the "top 10" crash sites have been fairly consistent: the intersection of <br /> Seventh Ave ue and Jefferson Street tops the list, with a 10-year average of 29.7 reported crashes <br /> per year, folio ed by River Avenue/Silver Lane at River Road (29.6); Seventh Avenue at <br /> i Washington/I 105 (27.7); 11th Avenue at Bailey Hill Road (26.6); Coburg Road at Oakway <br /> Road/Southw od (20.8); Green Acres Road at Delta Highway (19.6); River Road at Beltline (17.6); <br /> River Road a Division/Ruby Lane (17.5); Highway 99 at Roosevelt Boulevard (17.2); and River Road <br /> at Santa Clar Avenue (15.9). New to the "top 10" list for 2006: Barger Avenue at Echo Hollow Road <br /> (19); and 29`h Avenue at Willamette Street (14). <br /> All of he "top 10" intersections are signalized, and rear-end collisions are the most common <br /> cause of thes crashes at these intersections. At Seventh Avenue and Washington, for example, 30 <br /> of the 46 rep rted crashes in 2006 were rear-end collisions. <br /> "What these figures tell me is that there are serious consequences when drivers follow too <br /> closely and d n't pay enough attention to the road ahead of them," Larsen said. <br /> ~ The a Huai crash report also lists all 670 Eugene intersections where crashes were reported. <br /> Summary cra h data for the 670 intersections is available at www.eugene-or.gov/pw. <br /> <br /> ' <br /> Eugene Public Works ~ www.eugene-or.gov/pw <br /> 858 Pearl St,~eet, Eugene, Oregon 97501 • 541-682-5523 • fax 541-682-6826 • e-mail pwadmin@ci.eugene.or.us <br /> <br />