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Posted on January 14, 2015 written by Jane Paulson
Most recent statistics indicate that there are nearly 150,000 car accidents in Oregon and Washington every year. By far, Multnomah County comprises the bulk of the accidents in Oregon with approximately 13,000 annually. Thousands of these accidents were the result of negligent, reckless, and careless driving. Below is a breakdown of Oregon’s crash statistics by cause, location, and other factors such as pedestrian and bicyclist involvement.
As mentioned previously, the highest concentration of Oregon traffic accidents takes place in Multnomah County. Out of the 13,700 accidents that occurred in Multnomah County in 2012, 44 people were killed and 9,580 were injured. This leaves just over 4,000 accidents that were property damage only.
Washington County was next in line for highest number of auto accidents with 6,700 crashes in 2012 – 19 fatalities and 5,172 injuries. Clackamas County was third with 4,461 crashes in 2012 – 20 fatalities and 3,456 injuries.
The lowest concentration of Oregon car accidents occurred in Wheeler County with just 20 crashes resulting in one fatality and eight injuries.
Over a five-year period from 2008 to 2012, accident rates steadily increased. For example, in 2008, there were 41,816 traffic crashes. In 2012, there were 49,798 total traffic crashes in Oregon. In 2012, the highest concentration of auto accidents occurred in October with 4,776 crashes. The top three months for crashes were October, December, and November, in that order. The spike in motor vehicle accidents during these months is likely the result of adverse weather conditions like rain and icy roads.
The data above considers total accidents. When it comes to traffic injuries and fatalities, in 2012, the highest concentration of injuries tends to occur in October and fatalities in September.
Motorcyclists, pedestrians, and pedacyclists (bicyclists) are also frequently involved in Oregon traffic accidents. The year 2012 had the highest concentration of these types of accidents than had occurred in Oregon in the five years previous. There were 1,111 motorcyclist-involved crashes with 1,152 resulting injuries and 49 fatalities.
There were a similar number of pedacyclist-involved accidents in Oregon in 2012. 1,064 of these crashes occurred, 1,054 injuries resulted, and 10 were killed. Pedestrian-involved crashes in 2012 totaled 923 with 993 injuries and 60 deaths.
As the largest city in the state of Oregon, Portland has its own statistics for auto accidents. In 2012, there were 11,685 total accidents in the city of Portland. Out of these accidents, 7,956 people were injured and 32 were killed.
The accident rate, along with the traffic injury and traffic fatality rates, has steadily increased in Portland over the five-year span between 2008 and 2012. In 2008, there were 9,206 total crashes in Portland, meaning that from 2008 to 2012, total accidents rose by 2,479 crashes or about 21%.
Many accidents that occur in the state of Oregon are caused by driver error. These types of driver error can be broken down by specific type of error. The most common driver errors that result in car accidents are –
This information comes from the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Transportation Development Division – 2012 Oregon Traffic Crash Summary. You can also get a breakdown of traffic accident statistics on our Oregon auto accident statistics infographic.
Paulson Coletti represents auto accident victims throughout Oregon and Washington. If you were involved in a serious crash through no fault of your own, contact our Portland personal injury attorneys today to learn how we might be able to help you recover compensation.
Call us at (503) 226-6361 or fill out a free online consultation form.
This page has been written, edited, and fact-checked by our team of legal writers in accordance with our editorial guidelines. It has been approved by partners Jane Paulson and John Coletti—respected trial attorneys with decades of experience representing personal injury victims.
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