The Lane County Sheriff’s Office received special allocated funding from ODOT/ Oregon State Sheriff’s Association to provide overtime patrols with a focus on Traffic and Life Safety, emphasizing DUII and aggressive driving enforcement, as well as seat belt use enforcement. Through the grant funding, LCSO deputies will be conducting overtime patrols in the Lane County area beginning Aug.17 through Labor Day, Sept. 3. This saturation is in conjunction with a nation-wide effort to reduce drunk and impaired driving, and reduce the number of injuries and deaths from vehicle crashes.
The emphasis of the nation-wide seat belt enforcement will be focused on child seats, texting and speed. As of May, 2017, Oregon law requires children less than 2 years of age to be in a rear facing child seat and in a booster seat until 4 foot and 9 inches tall.
The Oregon Department of Transportation statistics for 2016 report that Lane County is the second highest in this state for fatal crashes with 45 deaths. Lane County also has the highest percentage of deaths per vehicle crash in the state. There were 4,633 crashes reported in Lane County in 2016 with the 45 fatalities and 3,490 injuries.
The Lane County Sheriff’s Office wants to remind motorists to buckle up, drive safely and drive sober. With the passage of Oregon’s marijuana laws, this is also a reminder of the impairment marijuana creates of drivers, impacting their ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (DUII) applies to drivers under the influence of marijuana, as it does with alcohol.
If you inhale, you may go to jail.
