Roseburg, Ore. – Douglas County officials have taken a bold step toward improving road safety by adopting a Transportation Safety Action Plan (TSAP) aimed at reducing all traffic-related deaths and serious injuries on county roads to zero.
The TSAP, which has been in development for several years, was launched with a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to analyze crash data in the region. Between 2017 and 2022, the study identified a troubling trend: 55 people lost their lives, and 165 others were seriously injured in 1,442 reported crashes on roads within the county.
Despite a decline in crashes since 2019, the data shows that significant safety issues remain, particularly in rural areas where impaired driving is believed to be a factor. County officials have labeled all deaths and serious injuries in the study as preventable, underlining their commitment to improving road conditions and reducing the risk of future incidents.
“The goal is ambitious and clear,” said Scott Adams, the county’s public works director. “We are striving toward zero deaths and serious injuries on county-maintained roadways.”
The plan was developed with input from the public, with community members voicing concerns about impaired driving and other safety hazards in the area. With the adoption of the plan, Douglas County is now eligible for funding from the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) program, which could help finance future road safety projects.
Adams emphasized that while the action plan is an important step, securing additional state and federal funding will be essential for the successful implementation of the plan’s proposed solutions, which include improvements to road design and infrastructure, as well as increased safety education and enforcement measures.
The county hopes that by working collaboratively with state and federal partners, it can significantly reduce the number of traffic fatalities and injuries in the years to come.
For those interested in the full details of the plan, including proposed solutions and estimated costs, the county has made the full TSAP available to the public.
With this new action plan in place, Douglas County is taking a proactive approach to ensuring that its roadways are safer for all residents and visitors. As other counties across the country look to improve their own road safety strategies, Douglas County’s initiative serves as a model for ambitious, data-driven efforts to eliminate traffic-related harm.
