The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) periodically takes it upon themselves to remind us all about basic rules of the road. Whether it’s a buckle-up, a hang-up-the-cell-phone or a ‘speed kills’ messaging campaign, ODOT uses a portion of its marketing budget for billboards and other media outlets. This year one of their public service announcement campaigns is directed at everyone who walks, rides a bike or drives a car to get around: every intersection is a crosswalk.
But this messaging campaign got us wondering. When ODOT finds that it needs to spread the word about a concept as fundamental as crosswalk safety, what other morsels of less well known roadway legal tidbits are being overlooked?
We’ve tried to catalog a few of Oregon’s roadway laws as they pertain to bicycles. Are their any we’re missing?
For most of us, the last time we looked at the motor vehicle code was when we first got our driver’s license or when we moved to this great state. Should that change? If CPAs and engineers and all other manner of licensed business professionals are required to complete continuing professional education to stay up on the latest in their respective fields, shouldn’t those of us who operate motor vehicles do the same?