Eugene city report shows a new high for fatal traffic collisions

QuickTake:

As preliminary data show 22 fatal traffic collisions in Eugene last year, a safer streets advocate is calling for a renewed commitment to making city roadways safer for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists.

A community memorial for Sharon Schuman, who was killed by an automobile while running on the Amazon Trail on April 23, 2025 in Eugene, Oregon. Credit: Craig Strobeck / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

Eugene roads are not as safe as they used to be.

Based on traffic fatality data released Tuesday, that’s the conclusion of Rob Zako, executive director for the nonprofit organization Better Eugene-Springfield Transportation and an advocate for safer streets.

The number of fatal collisions last year – including those involving someone hit while on foot or riding a bicycle — spiked to 22, more than twice the number recorded in any year from 2014 to 2022, according to a city report.

Last year’s total, which is based on preliminary data, included 10 fatal collisions involving pedestrians, more fatal pedestrian-vehicle collisions than any other year since at least 2014 in Eugene. There was one fatal collision involving a bicyclist.

The most recent death statistics are especially worrisome for Zako because it comes after the city recorded 14 fatal traffic collisions each year in 2022 and 2023, numbers higher than any other year from the previous eight-year period.

“This doesn’t feel like statistical variation. This feels like a trend going the wrong direction,” Zako said.

Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner, in a statement, referred to how many of the crashes involved speeding or drivers under the influence.

“With speeding, drugs, and alcohol playing such a large role in the recent fatalities, we want to urge folks to consider their neighbors when making transportation choices,” Skinner said in a statement.

The report, based on data compiled by the state Department of Transportation, states that more than 70% of the fatal crashes from 2022 through last year involved someone under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Yet Eugene police crime data shows a steady decline over the last three years in the number of driving under the influence offenses, with the total last year down 32% compared to 2022. The city recorded 260 driving under the influence offenses last year, according to police data.

At least a third of the fatal crashes involved speeding, according to the city’s report.

Zako said that with the city’s budget concerns, it may not be feasible for police to simply step up traffic enforcement.

“The Eugene Police Department just doesn’t have the personnel to do that, and so there’s kind of a lawlessness, or flouting of the rules of the road,” Zako said, though he added that he would welcome more enforcement of traffic laws.

Given the number of deaths, “I would say there’s a conversation to have countywide between transportation people and law enforcement people about how to address this issue,” Zako said.

Previous city leaders have attempted to address traffic safety, with Eugene one of two cities in the state to become what are known as Vision Zero communities. In 2019, the city council approved moving forward with a plan to reduce fatalities to zero by implementing various strategies, such as identifying dangerous streets and intersections.

The report listed the locations of various fatal collisions in the last three years, noting that “roadways with high speed limits and traffic volumes are heavily represented in the data.”

Zako said there’s no easy fix – especially with a lack of city resources – but more must be done to address the safety of Eugene’s roads and streets.

“What are our priorities? Do we value lives? Do we have a commitment to do something about it?” Zako said.

The locations of the fatal pedestrian collisions in 2024: