Sergeant Says Be Vigilant To Prevent Traffic Accidents

Sergeant Ty Engstrom with the Portland Police Bureau’s Traffic Division says the last three years have been tough. “In 2022, we had 67 total fatalities.  2021, 69 total fatalities. And this year we’re again at 67 and still have a week and a half to go to the end of the year,” he said.

Right now, he’s sounding a special alarm. “As we go into these darkest days of the year, please be careful.  We have very tight streets, not all of them are well lit. We have lots of street parking that people can step out from between cars.”

He says drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, “Need to assume that people aren’t seeing us, and we need to be as visible as we possibly can. And if you’re operating a motor vehicle, you need to act as if someone’s going to step out in front of you, at any given moment.”

He says many of the accidents he’s investigated were preventable. “After going to hundreds of fatal crashes and seeing all types of scenarios, what I want to express to you is that we all use these roadways together. And we have to share them appropriately.”