From Gizmodo: "According to two sources “briefed about the matter,” The Information reports that Uber’s internal investigation found that the cameras, Lidar, and radar on the self-driving test vehicle all did their jobs correctly. Unfortunately, the system that determines which objects around the car can be safely ignored had reportedly been tuned in a way that caused it to ignore a passing pedestrian." Charley Gee is a Portland Car Accident Attorney and a Portland personal injury attorney. #DangerousDrivers ..read more

From StreetsBlog USA: "Almost 6,000 pedestrians were killed on American streets in 2016, an increase of nearly 50 percent since 2009. The cause of the increase, however, has stumped some safety analysts. Groups like the Governors Highway Safety Association, for example, have advanced theories on “distracted walking,” without much evidence. But a new study from a major group, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, points to real-world causes and practicable solutions. Using federal fatality and crash data, IIHS performed a regression analysis to examine “roadway, environmental, personal an ..read more

It’s a cyclist’s worst nightmare - Your bike is gone. Stolen. Whether from the rack in front of your apartment, your backyard, or off of your car, having your bicycle stolen can leave you feeling victimized and helpless. Bikes are highly fungible items. Easily transported, dismantled, and hocked, bikes are a currency of choice for thieves up and down the West Coast. Stolen bikes are hard to track, hard to recover, and a low law enforcement priority. If your bike has been stolen here is what you need to do: FILE A POLICE REPORT: Bike theft is a low law enforcement priority, but you still need ..read more

Oregon’s Vulnerable Roadway User (VRU) Law is not a stand-alone law. It is an enhanced penalty that can be levied when a driver violates Oregon’s Careless Driving law and in doing so causes physical injury to, or the death of, a vulnerable roadway user. A vulnerable roadway user is defined in Oregon law as: A pedestrian; A highway worker; A person riding an animal; or A person operating any of the following on a public way, crosswalk, or shoulder of the highway: A farm tractor or implement of husbandry; A skateboard; Roller skates In-line skates; A scooter; or A bicycle. If a person drives c ..read more

Yes, a bicycle can legally carry a passenger in Oregon so long as the bicycle was designed to carry the number of passengers aboard. ORS 814.460. What this means is that riding on the handlebars or pegs of a bicycle is not lawful, but riding in the passenger seat or cargo area of a bicycle is. Charley Gee is a Portland Personal Injury Attorney ..read more

Oregon has a statutory law against dangerous street drains. This law is reflective of Oregon’s progressive safety laws. However, it is somewhat limited in scope and takes some sorting through to know where drains are required to be safe and where they are not. The law applies to all street drains, storm drains, and “other similar openings” in a roadbed over which traffic must pass in any portion of a public way, highway, road, street, footpath or bicycle trail that is available for use by bicycle traffic and requires them to be constructed in such a way that bicycle traffic can safely pass ov ..read more

Cyclists will often encounter people running in the bike lane. Runners, especially the more experienced and faster ones, prefer to run in bike lanes over the sidewalks in order to avoid driveways, curbs, and pavement defects. Occasionally this will lead to a conflict. So, is it legal to run in a bike lane in Oregon? I’ve already written about how it is illegal to walk or run in the street in Oregon. But there is a key word in the law that makes it legal to run in the bike lane in Oregon. It is “roadway”. ORS 814.070(1)(a) makes it illegal to run or walk in the street when a sidewalk is availab ..read more

Over on the Oregon Pedestrian Lawyer blog: Is it legal to walk or run in the street in Oregon? Charley Gee is a Portland, Oregon Personal Injury Attorney. He is best known for being a Portland, Oregon Pedestrian Attorney and a Portland, Oregon, Bicycle Attorney. He maintains blogs on Oregon Bicycle Laws and Oregon Pedestrian Laws. #Pedestrians ..read more

Portland personal injury attorney Charley Gee was recently interviewed for an article on BikePortland.org. The essay "Family Biking: I shouldn’t feel like a criminal for biking with my baby" explores some of the legal issues and considerations facing parents who want put their young children on a bike. Read the full article here. Related Blog Posts: Oregon Bicycle Law Blog: Oregon's Bicycle Helmet Law Oregon Bicycle Law Blog: Does an Oregon Bicyclist Have to Obey the Same Laws as a Motor Vehicle Driver? Further Reading: Since July 2021, Shannon Johnson has written a recurring "Family Bikin ..read more

While most vehicles are prohibited from passing another vehicle on the right in Oregon, bicyclists are allowed a special exception. ORS 811.415 makes it clear that all vehicles can pass on the right in some circumstances (the other vehicle is turning left or the vehicles are in separate lanes (even bike lanes)). The law goes on, however, to allow a bicyclist to pass on the right in all other circumstances so long as they "may safely make the passage under existing conditions". What does that mean? "Safely" is not defined in the law. A good rule of thumb is to not pass on the right when it is c ..read more