Oregon’s new law requiring motorists to yield to pedestrians

“Stop and stay stopped. It’s that simple.” That’s how America Walks president Ellen Vanderslice sums up Oregon’s new law requiring motorists to yield to pedestrians in intersections with or without traffic signals or crosswalks. The law, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2004, requires drivers to stop 20 feet short of a pedestrian in an intersection, and remain stopped until the pedestrian has cleared both the driver’s lane and the adjacent lane. Advocacy groups are calling for similar measures nationwide, pointing out that 12 percent of annual traffic fatalities are people on foot while only one percent of federal highway safety spending goes to pedestrian improvements. u