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| Program Manager |
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Carla Levinski
Phone Number: 503 986-4199
FAX: 503 986-3143
ODOT - Transportation Safety Division
235 Union Street NE
Salem, OR 97301-1054
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| Program Introduction |
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Occupant Protection: Promotes use of safety belts, child safety seats and other occupant restraint devices through:
- Delivery of public information and education programs;
- Funding for law enforcement overtime and training; and
- Funding for ACTS Oregon Child Safety Seat Resource Center; information and referral hotline, website and operation support.
- Funding to provide child safety seats to needy families through local fitting stations.
- Funding to provide nationally standardized certification training and continuing education for child passenger safety technicians.
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| Seatbelt/Child Restraint Laws |
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The following are general descriptions of Oregon's safety belt and child restraint laws. Specific wording of statutory requirements can be found at ORS 811.210 - 811.225. (Note: You will have to scroll down to the appropriate statute number).
ADULT BELT LAW: Oregon law requires that all motor vehicle operators and passengers be properly secured with a safety belt or safety harness, unless all safety-belt equipped seating positions are occupied by other persons. This applies to passenger cars, pick up trucks, motorhomes, and fee-based people transport carrying fifteen or fewer persons. Limited exemptions are allowed under ORS 811.215. Vehicle owners are required to maintain belt systems in working order.
CHILD RESTRAINT LAW: (effective July 1, 2007) Child passengers must be restrained in approved child safety seats until they weigh forty pounds. Infants must ride rear-facing until they reach both one year of age AND twenty pounds.
BOOSTER SEAT LAW: (effective July 1, 2007) Children over forty pounds must use boosters to 4'9" tall unless they have reached age eight.
NATIONAL "BEST PRACTICE" RECOMMENDATIONS: Oregon child seat laws generally reflect USDOT National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommendations based upon accepted nationwide research studies. However, NHTSA offers the following two additional recommendations which are not currently included in Oregon law: 1) children should ride rear-facing in their car seat until they reach the upper height or weight limit recommended by the manufacturer of the seat in use (provides greater head protection particularly in a side-impact crash), and 2) children under age thirteen should ride in the back seat (reduces the risk of crash injury by 37% for this age group.)
MOTOR HOMES:
Motor homes are considered passenger vehicles under Oregon law and as such, adult belt and child seat requirements apply also to motor homes --- but only to forward-facing vehicle seating positions (those meeting federal safety standards for seat belt anchorages). Therefore, occupants should utilize all forward-facing belted positions before using side or rear-facing positions.
COMMERCIAL VEHICLE BELT USE:
Oregon's safety belt law requires occupants of privately-owned commercial vehicles transporting 15 or fewer persons to use safety restraints including occupants of shuttles, taxis, limousines and vans. Among these types of vehicles, taxi cab drivers are the only occupants excepted from this rule. Effective January 1st, 2008, the previous exemption for commercial vehicles "designed or used primarily for transportation of property" is removed.
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| Child & Booster Seat Help |
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For help with child safety seat selection and installation, contact the Child Safety Seat Resource Center at ACTS Oregon, during regular office hours at (503) 643-5620 ( Portland Area) or (800) 772-1315. Information on Oregon Laws, free local car seat check up events, child seat training, and volunteer opportunities, can be found on their website at www.childsafetyseat.org.
ACTS Oregon is a Non-Profit organization contracted annually by ODOT to provide statewide information, referral and training related to child passenger safety in Oregon.
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| Press Ready PDFs |
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Click on the links below to view or download our most recent print ads
Click link for a high-resolution image of a girl in a booster seat.
Crash-Proof your Kids-Spanish version ( PDF 861 KB)
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| 3-Flags Campaign |
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ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN …
The Three Flags Campaign is a statewide selective traffic enforcement program (STEP) that seeks to reduce the number of motor vehicle-related deaths and injuries by increasing public awareness of laws regarding the three most prevalent factors contributing to traffic crash injuries: safety restraint use, speed, and impaired drivers. The Campaign began in 1993 as a cooperative, demonstration effort between Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia along the I-5 corridor. ODOT expanded the Campaign statewide in 1996 and beyond the demonstration period because of its proven success in attaining higher belt use and continued availability of federal funds earmarked for safety belt overtime.
In 1999, the Oregon State Sheriffs Association, Oregon Association Chiefs of Police and Oregon State Police Headquarters assumed daily grant management and active promotion of the campaign. Over one hundred city, county and state police agencies regularly utilize safety belt overtime with emphasis required during three two-week “blitz” periods each year.
Prior to the "blitzes", participating agencies attend a preparatory workshop conducted by ODOT's Transportation Safety Division and certified by the Department of Public Safety Standards & Training. In addition to attending pre-blitz workshops, officers are encouraged to acquire specialized training in correct use of safety belts and child safety seats, and to nurture community awareness of traffic safety issues generally. Officers conduct local belt use surveys and public education activities during the weeks just prior to and following each blitz. Campaign success is measured by observed belt use rates, enforcement contact volume, and public information activities reported by each agency.
Today, most Oregon traffic enforcement agencies actively promote safety belt use within their jurisdictions. Statewide crash fatality and injury rates have each dropped 43% since passage of the adult belt law in 1990. The law, combined with active enforcement, has resulted in 2007 Oregon belt use rates of 95% (front seat occupants) and 97% (all seating), placing Oregon among the top five belt-use states in the U.S. This compares to a nationwide belt use average of 80% for front seat occupants.
During the 2007 grant year, $818,502 of federal traffic safety overtime generated 69,909 total enforcement contacts and paid officers to staff child seat checks and other local educational events. Total overtime contacts were as follows: 25,207 safety belt, 828 child seat, 13,205 speeding, 544 DUII, 2,442 suspensions, 516 felonies, and 27,167 all other violations. To put these efforts and expenditures into perspective, consider that safety belts are 45-65% effective in preventing fatalities/injuries and that the average combined societal costs of one traffic death are estimated to be $1,090,000 (National Safety Council, 2002.)
For more information on this Campaign, contact Carla Levinski, ODOT Occupant Protection Program Manager at (503)986-4199 or www.oregon.gov/ODOT/TS/safetybelts.html
2009 - 2010 Schedule of Events
100 Car Survey (Form)
2009 Click It or Ticket Presspoints
2007 Work Zone Slide Presentation by Anne Holder
2007 Traffic Control Slide Presentation by Scott M. McCana, P.C.
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| Room to Live- Video |
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Think Seat Belts are a Personal Choice? (MT DOT)
Room to Live - Video (click on the link)
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| 2008 Grant Opportunities |
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Police Agency Contacts
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Agency Type
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Contact
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Phone
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| OSP |
Sgt. Mike Stupfel
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503-378-3725
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Police Department
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Or. Assoc Chiefs of Police
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503-315-1411
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Sheriffs Office
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Oregon State Sheriff´s Assoc.
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800-624-4405
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More Information?
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Carla Levinski
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503-986-4199 |
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| Exemption Form |
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ORS 811.220 The Director of Transportation shall issue a certificate of exemption under ORS 811.215 for any person whose behalf a statement signed by a physician is presented to the Department of Transportation. For a physician´s statement to qualify under this section, the physician giving the statement must set forth reasons in the statement why the use of a child safety system, or safety belt or safety harness by the person would be impractical or harmful to the person by reason of physician condition, medical problem, or body size.
A safety restraint exemption can not be issued for commercial drivers per Federal code 392.16.
FAXES CAN NOT BE ACCEPTED. Please send in ORIGINAL Copies only.
For More information, please contact the Seatbelt Medical Exemption Coordinator:
Melody McGee Phone: 503-986-3590
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