Record Oregon surplus
Sports round up Page A6
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$1.50
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2023
VOL. 132, NO. 23 Serving the Lower Columbia Region since 1891
Speeding, the biggest culprit in county crashes WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.
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n examination of crash data between 2017 and 2021 of crashes on Highway 30 has revealed that the leading causes of accidents are speeding and following too closely, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). Between April and September of 2023, the Chief reported on four separate accidents on Highway 30 that resulted in five deaths. In light of those incidents, the Chief reached out to ODOT to find what the leading causes of crashes are and what the department is doing to try and promote safety and minimize accidents. ODOT does not have preliminary data on crashes yet for 2022 or 2023. However, ODOT Communications Representative David House provided complete data for the five-year period of 2017 through 2021. The two sets of data provided include traffic accidents in Columbia County as a whole and data from the stretch of Highway 30 from St. Helens North City Limit to Clatskanie East City Limit. “I don’t see a trend in this data, but no matter what the figures are year to year, everyone’s goal is to make the number of crashes, injuries, and fatalities go down. Anecdotally, we sense that the number of crashes, injuries, and fatalities are up – not just in Oregon but nationwide,” House said. Without the data for 2022 and 2023, it is difficult to discern whether fatalities have risen in recent years. From 2017 to 2021, ODOT recorded ten fatalities on Highway 30 between St. Helens and Clatskanie. The most fatalities in a year was four in 2019. House said that in Oregon as a whole, a major part of the increase in fatalities appears to be vehicle-pedestrian crashes. “This appears to be an effect of
Jeremy Ruark / Country Media, Inc.
Between 2017 and 2021, on the stretch of Highway 30 between St. Helens and Clatskanie, ODOT recorded 371 crashes.
more people being closer to traffic or in areas of highway right-of-way where pedestrians and camping are not allowed – because it puts people in danger,” House said. Excessive speed One of the main factors that ODOT has observed as a recurring issue is that people have been driving at high speeds since the pandemic. “Although speed alone doesn’t cause a crash, it makes it more likely to happen and more severe,” House said. “At higher speeds, drivers have less time to react, and it takes longer to stop or evade a surprise on the road. Higher speeds make it more likely for a crash to happen that could have been avoided or turn a fender-bender into an injury crash and to make a bad crash a fatal crash.” Between 2017 and 2021, on the stretch of Highway 30 between
period, there were 1759 crashes. Speeding was again the top cause, accounting for 521 accidents, with following too closely as the second leading cause again with 367 crashes. Failure to yield was the third leading cause, with 353 accidents. “We included crash causes for that stretch of highway and Columbia County as a whole, and excessive speed tops both. It’s important to note that excessive speed amplifies the impact of other factors – following too close, failure to yield, etc,” House said. Of the 1759 crashes, speeding, following too closely, and failure to yield accounted for 1,241 of the crashes from 2017 until 2021. It’s possible that speeding played a part in each of the categories, as House alluded to. One trend that ODOT noted in recent years is that distracted driving is resulting in more accidents on a state and national level. On the aforementioned stretch of Highway 30, driver inattention accounted for 32 accidents, and on the county level, driver inattention was responsible for 151 crashes. “Our Area 1 Manager, Mark Buffington, said that excessive speed and distracted driving have been significant factors on U.S. 30 crashes in recent years – reflecting the national trend,” House said. Making the roads safer
Courtesy data from ODOT
St. Helens and Clatskanie, ODOT recorded 371 crashes during those five years. The leading cause of crashes was speeding, with 109 crashes as a result. The second
leading cause was following too closely, which resulted in 82 crashes during that same span. Looking at ODOT data for Columbia County during that same
Wooley said. “There’s something for everybody.” The CAC is a non-profit corporation, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization created to provide a variety of entertaining programs and events that enrich the lives of the people of the Lower Columbia River Region. Wooley said they are a “special organization” in the county because they are one of the only arts commissions in the county that is all volunteer-run. The commission has been around since 1987, and Wooley is one of the founding members. This year, the CAC is celebrating its 34th Performing Arts Series. “I think it’s an amazing organi-
zation, and we’ve had such good support from the community and businesses and everyone,” Wooley said. “I’m really proud of our season this year.”
In a community poll on the Chief’s website that asked whether people were concerned with driver safety on Highway 30, one hundred percent of respondents answered yes, a reflection of the community being troubled about accidents. House said that ODOT is trying to address driver safety issues in a variety of ways. Some are engineering changes to promote driver safety, like basic maintenance of
See SPEEDING Page A2
Kicking off 34th Annual Performing Arts Series WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.
Courtesy photo from Elsa Wooley
Black Swan Classic Jazz Band and vocalist Marilyn Keller will start the Performing Arts Series on Oct. 12.
The Clatskanie Arts Commission is excited to present its 34th Annual Performing Arts Series, starting Oct. 22. The series will include six performances with a range of styles and genres. Elsa Wooley is a board member and organizer for the Clatskanie Arts Commission (CAC) and is proud of the lineup that the commission has assembled to perform. “Our mission is to provide a variety of entertaining programs for the people of the lower Columbia region. This year we have such a great variety of performances,”
Starting off the season The season will kick off on Oct. 22 with a performance from the Black Swan Classic Jazz Band and vocalist Marilyn Keller. The concert will occur at the Birkenfeld Theatre, 75 S Nehalem St. Wooley said that the theme for the event will be bringing Mardi Gras to Clatskanie. “It’s a mixture of Dixieland, old-fashioned foot-stomping music.
You kinda get the feel that you’re at Mardi Gras, without having to travel all that way,” Wooley said. “We’re going to have fun. We’re going to dress up in Mardi Gras clothes and give out beads, and heck, we’re going all out for it.” Tickets are $25 for adults, $23 for seniors 60+ and students, and $20 for children. Tickets may be purchased online at clatskaniearts. org or by calling Elsa Wooley at 503-728-3403. Tickets may also be purchased at the door the day of the concert, if available. A special discount is available for purchases of 6 or more tickets.
See CAC Page A3
Safeway holding can and bottle drive to give back WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.
To help families in need this holiday season, Clatskanie’s Safeway is holding a can and bottle drive to
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Contact The Chief Phone: 503-397-0116 Fax: 503-397-4093 chiefnews@countrymedia.net 1805 Columbia Blvd., St. Helens, OR 97051
raise donations for Turning Point Community Service Center. While the partnership between the two organizations dates back more than 20 years, this is the first year that Safeway has done the can and bottle drive. The drive will raise money to provide local families in need with Thanksgiving dinners. Safeway Front End Manager Lisa Long said they hope to raise enough for 172 meals locally. To help support the cause, all people will need to do is bring their cans and bottles to the store, and Safeway will “take care of it from there.” “We take [the bottles and cans] in, and we turn them in ourselves. And all donations, all the proceeds, will be going into the ‘Turkey Bucks’ here at Clatskanie Safeway, which will go toward the Turning Point meals,” Long said. Kelly Miller, the Executive Director at Turning Point, said that the years-long relationship between Safeway and her organization is a “huge” benefit to the community. “Safeway donates food items daily to Turning Point that supplements our food supply that we have to fill our clients food boxes,” Miller said. “During the holiday season, Safeway really steps up their efforts in making sure that our clients receive a full holiday meal during a most stressful time for many individuals and families. Safeway offers both Turkey Bucks for Thanksgiving as well as
Courtesy photo from Lisa Long
The early returns of the can and bottle drive have been promising.
Santa Bucks for Christmas - these dollars are turned into holiday meals for our clients.” About Turning Point The partnership helps ensure that “no family goes hungry in Clatskanie.” Turning Point is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is run solely by donations from community members, businesses, and United Way, according to Miller. “Turning Point, first and foremost, is a food pantry, but we really
are so much more, and many people are unaware of what exactly we offer to our community,” Miller said. “Turning Point has become the community’s local resource center for many areas of need. From our food boxes to utility assistance, gas vouchers for medical appts., prescription help, clothing vouchers at our thrift shop, propane for clients who use propane as their heating and/or cooking source, rental assistance in order to prevent evictions as well as getting people into a home if they are currently houseless.”
Turning Point is also a hub for application assistance for many programs such as NOHA, SNAP, TANF, and OHP, and they work closely with the Community Action Team, helping clients fill out those lengthy applications. Time to amp it up! Long said that Safeway is trying to get more proceeds this year than they usually do and that they have
See SAFEWAY Page A3