Addressing Oregon’s Rise in Deaths and Serious Injuries for Senior Drivers and Pedestrians

Monsere, Christopher; Kothuri, Sirisha; Anderson, Jason; Hurwitz, David; Chand, Cadell · 2020 · ROSA P / Oregon. Dept. of Transportation. Research Section

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Summary

This study addresses the increasing rate of fatal and serious injury crashes involving older drivers and pedestrians (aged 65 and older) in Oregon. Motivated by national trends showing a rise in traffic fatalities among older adults, the research aimed to identify specific crash patterns, overrepresented risk factors, and effective countermeasures to improve safety for this demographic. The project was conducted by researchers from Portland State University and Oregon State University for the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. The methodology combined a comprehensive literature review of best practices with a detailed analysis of Oregon crash data from 2013 to 2016. The dataset included 884 fatal and serious injury crashes involving older drivers and 112 involving older pedestrians. Researchers analyzed crash characteristics such as time of day, day of the week, roadway classification, collision type, and driver/pedestrian behavior. They also performed population-based crash rate analyses at the county level to identify geographic disparities. To translate findings into actionable strategies, the team held a workshop with key stakeholders to brainstorm solutions and prioritize countermeasures based on the identified crash factors. The analysis revealed distinct patterns for older drivers and pedestrians. Older driver crashes most frequently occurred between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., on Mondays, on rural principal arterials, at intersections, and within 20 miles of the driver’s home. The most common crash types were fixed-object and turning-movement collisions, with primary causes including not yielding the right-of-way, speeding too fast for conditions, and being not at fault. Older pedestrian crashes also peaked between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. but occurred most frequently on Fridays at intersections. The most common pedestrian actions involved crossing between intersections or at unsignalized intersections. Statistical comparisons indicated significant differences in crash proportions for time of day, day of the week, and roadway classification compared to other age groups. Population-based analysis highlighted elevated crash rates in specific counties, including Harney for drivers and Baker, Morrow, Curry, Hood River, Umatilla, and Washington for pedestrians. Based on these findings, the study generated targeted recommendations. For older drivers, priority focus areas included intersections, rural principal arterials, and licensing and education programs. For older pedestrians, recommended treatments focused on improving visibility and illumination, managing left-turn movements, and shortening crossing distances. The research underscores the need for tailored engineering and policy interventions to address the unique mobility patterns and vulnerabilities of older road users, providing a data-driven framework for Oregon’s transportation safety strategies.

Key finding

Older driver fatal and serious injury crashes were most frequent between 3 to 6 p.m. on rural principal arterials at intersections, while older pedestrian crashes peaked on Fridays at intersections without traffic signals.

Methodology

dataset

Sample size: 996

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• demographic disparities
• pedal misapplication
• incidence prevalence
• fatality injury trends
• rail grade crossings
• vru crash typology

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes