MICHAEL DUNNE: I'm Michael Dunne. Eugene is known for a lot of things: the University of Oregon, Kesey Square, the Slug Queen and hippie culture. But there's another thing that experts warn is a Eugene trend in dire need of arresting: fatal traffic accidents. Since COVID, the number of these accidents has grown exponentially. And even though 2025 saw a dip in accidents, traffic planners and police are still very concerned about where we are today. On the show, you'll hear from an expert traffic planner and a police captain about causes and potential cures for this pattern. While there are engineering and enforcement solutions to the problem, the biggest challenge, as always, is trying to change human behavior. The city has an audacious goal of reducing fatal crashes to zero, and we talk about it next on Oregon on the Record. First, the news. Logan Telles, transportation planner with the city of Eugene, and Captain Ryan Maloney with the Eugene Police Department: We really appreciate both of you coming on and talking with us.
LOGAN TELLES: Yeah, thanks for having us.
DUNNE: Logan, I'm going to start with you because I know you're heavily involved in a program called Vision Zero. Can you remind listeners what Vision Zero is and what you do?
TELLES: Sure. For anyone who doesn't know, Vision Zero is an approach to transportation safety that centers on reducing fatal and serious injury traffic crashes. There are a lot of guiding principles associated with Vision Zero, but at its core, it involves cities recognizing that traffic deaths are not inevitable and that we can make positive change through things like roadway design, enforcement and public education.
DUNNE: I'm going to stay with you for a couple of questions. Let's talk about why the city of Eugene wanted to participate with Vision Zero, and maybe talk a little bit about where we have been with regard to serious and fatal traffic accidents in the city.
TELLES: In the city of Eugene, we've struggled with traffic deaths increasing following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many communities, 2022 through 2024 were some of the worst years on record for fatal traffic crashes in our area. In 2022 we had 14 fatal traffic crashes. We had 14 again in 2023, and then in 2024 that number grew to 22 fatal traffic crashes within our urban growth boundary. Now, in 2025, we experienced our first decrease in traffic deaths since 2020, with 10 fatal traffic crashes. Nonetheless, 10 community members losing their lives is still far too many, and there's a lot of work to do in pursuit of reaching the goal of zero traffic deaths.
DUNNE: Captain Maloney, from the police's perspective, what are some of the biggest causes of the fatal traffic accidents you see in the city of Eugene?
RYAN MALONEY: It's a full range of things: distracted driving, speed-related incidents and generally not obeying traffic laws, things like running stop signs and traffic lights. With increased speed and high-density areas with pedestrians and bicyclists, those tend to be some of the higher-risk areas in the community.
DUNNE: From the data you've looked at, are we somewhat unique compared to other cities in Oregon in terms of the high number of traffic fatalities?
TELLES: I'll take that one, if you don't mind. Across Oregon and across the country, many communities saw this pattern of a post-COVID increase in traffic deaths, and many are now starting to see a reduction back toward pre-pandemic levels. The patterns we've seen in Eugene are mirrored in communities across the country. That said, as I mentioned, there's still a lot of work to do, and we're fully committed to pursuing zero traffic deaths despite the recent decrease.
DUNNE: Captain Maloney, getting back to you: If you were to put the causes in buckets, like distracted drivers, high rate of speed, drugs and alcohol, is it spread fairly evenly across those categories?
MALONEY: Yeah. To be honest, it's pretty even across the board. With DUIs and drug-related crashes factored in, there's really no single area where you can say resolving this one problem would bring us all the way to zero fatalities, which is obviously what we're striving for. So we have to take a broader approach and try to educate, enforce and work through different programs within the city in order to collaboratively reduce this number.
DUNNE: Logan, you mentioned that the number went down in 2025, and while it's still too many, that's an improvement. I'll ask you first, and then Captain Maloney: What do you think are some reasons why the number of fatal crashes went down in 2025?
TELLES: It's too soon to say definitively, and we're also not guaranteed to see that downward trend continue through the end of 2026. Looking at the data, one notable thing is that we had fewer fatal crashes involving drugs and alcohol in 2025 compared to prior years. I'll kick it over to Captain Maloney to give EPD's perspective.
DUNNE: Go ahead, Captain.
MALONEY: I agree with that. The numbers we have are very similar. There's no way to guarantee those decreases are going to continue, but over the last two years, and pushing into this year, our staffing levels have come back up to a more manageable level. Being visible and physically engaging with the community through traffic stops, pedestrian stops and bike stops, we're able to have more of an impact. Visibility alone, let alone actual stops, helps make people more aware and brings them back to something like those pre-COVID days when people were more mindful of traffic regulations, distracted driving rules and really just being courteous on the road and aware that it's an entire community out there.
DUNNE: If you're just joining us, we're talking to Logan Telles, transportation planner with the city of Eugene, and Captain Ryan Maloney with the Eugene Police Department, about traffic fatalities in the city of Eugene. Captain, I'm going to stay with you. Can enforcement and education change driver behavior at scale? Is there data showing that more officers on the street produces better outcomes?
MALONEY: Yeah. If I didn't believe that was possible, I'd probably be in a different career field. Utilizing the metrics we have now, and working collaboratively with the city's engineering department, we're able to focus not only on citizen complaints but on actual high-concern areas. Our ability to have a presence, stop people and talk to people does make a significant difference. When we have the staffing to do that consistently with targeted enforcement and education, I think it substantially helps reduce incidents and educates the public on proper, respectful driving, as well as bicycle safety and pedestrian responsibility on shared roadways.
DUNNE: Logan, anyone who's driven a new car lately knows it's basically a computer on wheels with a large, very enticing screen and all sorts of bells and whistles. On the issue of distracted driving, and given the almost instinctual need people now have to check their phones: Is that something we really need to hone in on when educating drivers?
TELLES: Absolutely. Distracted driving is an issue in our community that's contributing to crashes, and distraction can look a number of ways. A lot of people think of cell phone distraction, and that's certainly an issue. But distraction can also come from emotional challenges an individual is dealing with at the time of a crash: Someone may be upset or having an argument with a passenger, for example. I'd encourage people to really focus when they're driving. Put down the phone. If you're dealing with something, pull over, send that text, make that call, resolve that conversation, and then get back on the road. That can certainly help.
DUNNE: Captain Maloney, are there particular areas in Eugene where police have seen the highest concentration of fatal crashes, or is it spread throughout the city?
MALONEY: It does move across the city, but there are definitely more specific areas. River Road, for example, has high traffic, high-density pedestrian and bike activity, plus four lanes and a median along a pretty straight stretch. Even though we regulate speed in that area, it's not always followed, especially on straight stretches where some people feel their time is more valuable. We also see a lot on Highway 99, with high pedestrian traffic, and along Patterson and Hilliard all the way out to East and West Amazon. Those are high-traffic areas where long, straight stretches contribute to speed issues, and where heavy crosswalk and pedestrian activity creates a dangerous combination.
DUNNE: Logan, as a transportation planner, are there engineering solutions that can help reduce the number of fatal accidents, specifically better ways to separate pedestrians from vehicles?
TELLES: Absolutely. We have a number of upcoming roadway safety projects and planning studies underway for some of the high-crash corridors that have been particularly problematic in recent years. Starting with Highway 99: We have a large-scale street lighting improvement project scheduled for this year. We're going to be adding new street lighting where none currently exists on Highway 99 and upgrading existing lighting to brighter LEDs. The goal is to brighten up that corridor to improve pedestrian visibility and give drivers more reaction time. In addition, we're going to be doing sidewalk infill on Highway 99 the following year.
DUNNE: From Barger to Prairie Road. Captain, I want to ask you one last question: When we talk about fatal crashes, it's easy to point to the driver, but what about the responsibilities of pedestrians and cyclists? Are there behaviors from those groups that contribute to dangerous situations?
MALONEY: We do see both. The issue is that the car is the easier target, basically because it's larger, traveling at higher speed and on the road. But there's a real education component for bicyclists around sharing the road, being aware of their surroundings and understanding that going certain places comes with real risk. With pedestrians, we see almost the same distracted behavior as we do with drivers. People crossing roadways, even in marked crosswalks, looking at their phones and not paying attention to oncoming traffic: It's a risk no matter how you look at it, especially on multi-lane roads with blind spots where one car stops but another doesn't see the pedestrian. If you're looking at your phone and not accounting for those possibilities, you're putting yourself at significant risk as well.
DUNNE: Logan, last question for you: Are you cautiously optimistic that, given what happened in 2025 and the improvements you talked about, we can continue this trend?
TELLES: I'd say the decrease is encouraging, but we remain committed to doing everything we can to push toward zero.
DUNNE: He is Logan Telles, transportation planner with the city of Eugene, and Captain Ryan Maloney with EPD. Gentlemen, thanks so much for taking time to talk with us. We're going to take a quick break. I'm Michael Dunne and you're listening to Oregon on the Record. When we come back, we'll check in with one of our reporters about public safety challenges in rural Lane County.
I'm Michael Dunne and you're listening to Oregon on the Record. Let's check in with our reporter about safety challenges in rural Lane County. KLCC's Rebecca Hansen-White: Always great to see you. Thanks so much for coming in.
REBECCA HANSEN-WHITE: Always great to be here.
DUNNE: You have a feature coming up about law enforcement and public safety challenges in the more remote areas of Lane County. Tell us about it.
HANSEN-WHITE: Yeah. I went out a couple of weeks ago to visit people living in unincorporated Lane County: residents of the county who don't live within any city's boundaries. Where I went was outside of Florence, and they are very concerned about the lack of public safety resources. There are only a handful of deputies patrolling unincorporated Lane County, yet more than 100,000 people live there. Our entire public safety system is under considerable strain from years of underfunding as tax dollars have plateaued and, in some cases, shrunk. These community members feel like they have no protection. If they call, someone will answer the phone, but it's very likely no one will come out, because they are literally an hour and a half to two hours away from Eugene, where a lot of deputies are based.
DUNNE: You even have a clip from someone describing in almost desperate terms what they face every day. Let's listen.
“We don’t feel like we have any protection. We don’t feel like we’re being served by the County Sheriff’s Department. And I realize a lot of it’s about funding, and it’s not their fault. I think the deputies probably do a wonderful job. There’s just not enough of them.”
DUNNE: Yeah. They really feel like they're almost on their own.
HANSEN-WHITE: Absolutely. That person had his garage broken into while he was asleep inside his home. He was quite scared. Thankfully, the door connecting the garage to the house was locked, so the intruders didn't actually come inside. But you have elderly residents who are very afraid that the next burglary will happen while they're home and they'll encounter someone. If they call 911, maybe someone in Florence is available under a mutual aid agreement, but Florence doesn't really have jurisdiction over the unincorporated area. A sheriff's deputy could be an hour and a half away, or longer, if they're on the other side of the county responding to another call. That resident also had his electric bike stolen, thousands of dollars in tools taken: items that will be very difficult to replace.
DUNNE: As many people know, Lane County is roughly the size of the state of Connecticut. So you spoke with officials at the Lane County Sheriff's Office. What did they tell you?
HANSEN-WHITE: They really shared those frustrations and said they understand exactly what residents are talking about, and they genuinely wish they could do better. But Oregon's Measures 5 and 50 have essentially frozen property taxes, and that complicated equation has severely limited property tax growth in the state. I've heard from many public officials that growth does not pay for itself in Oregon. As new subdivisions and communities come up and people move in, the resources to keep them safe have not grown alongside them. That means not enough deputies to do real traffic enforcement or thorough investigations. They have only one property crimes detective. There aren't enough district attorneys, parole officers or probation officers. Every part of the public safety system simply doesn't have the resources to meet the community's needs.
DUNNE: My last question for you: Is there any glimmer of hope, or any possibility of improving the situation?
HANSEN-WHITE: Lane County used to rely heavily on timber revenue, as have a few other Oregon counties, and with that gone and property taxes frozen, county leaders have been looking at alternatives. A task force came together to develop some solutions. One is a payroll tax currently under discussion among county leaders. The other is a special district dedicated to public safety that would collect taxes specifically for that purpose. Both are being researched by Lane County, and later this year some of those ideas are likely to come forward for public discussion to gauge what voters have an appetite for and how much they'd be willing to pay to feel safer. The details are still being worked out, but there are real conversations happening across the county: Everyone agrees the system is broken. The question is what leaders and taxpayers are willing to do to fix it.
DUNNE: Fascinating. Listen for that story later this week, and also at klcc.org. Rebecca Hansen-White, always appreciate talking with you. Thanks so much.
HANSEN-WHITE: Thank you.
DUNNE: That's the show for today. All episodes of Oregon on the Record are available as a podcast at klcc.org. Tomorrow on the show, you'll hear about St. Charles Medical Center's new cancer treatment facility opening in Redmond, and from a reporter with The Idaho Statesman about how Boise is creatively navigating around the state's ban on Pride flags. I'm Michael Dunne, host of Oregon on the Record. Thanks for listening.
