According to the state Driver and Motor Vehicle Services, human error is the most common cause of traffic accidents in Oregon. The top three factors that usually cause collisions, DMV officials report, are excessive speed, lack of concentration and improper evasive action. In Medford, Hansen said, traffic collisions most often take place in intersections. And it's usually a case of driver inattention, he said. All to often, motorists who fiddle with the radio or conversing with passengers never see the danger before it's too late.
People are in a rush.
Maybe it's part of the lifestyle we lead. Everybody's in too big of a rush these days. Getting residents to slow down on Jackson County roadways is major goal for Traffic Safety Coordinator Gregory Halley of the sheriff's department. People who drive too fast present one of the biggest dangers on the road. Three of those deaths were attributed to speed, Halley reported, while six were attributed to loss of control through driver error.