The Oregon Department of Transportation expects many Oregon highways to be very crowded in the days around the Aug. 21 solar eclipse. Many crashes are the result of distracted driving and traveling too fast for conditions. So ODOT is encouraging you to drive healthy: Keep your hands on the wheel, your mind on the task, and your eyes on the road — not on the sky. It also means you must plan your travel well in advance.
Because of the expected large crowds, please treat the 3-hour eclipse as a 3-DAY event: Arrive early, stay put and leave late.
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Showing up Monday morning is too late: You could be in a long traffic jam; you could still be on the highway when the eclipse occurs.
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Trying to leave immediately after the eclipse is too early: That could put you into another long traffic jam—perhaps one of cosmic proportions.
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Can you travel with others? Carpool! Visit www.drivelessconnect.com/2017-eclipse/ for more information.
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Move over before you pass a vehicle on the side of the road that is displaying warning lights, if you can. If you cannot safely move over, or you’re on a two-lane road, you must slow down to at least five mph under the speed limit before you pass by.
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The shoulder is for emergency stopping, not parking — and not eclipse viewing. Blocking the shoulder could keep emergency vehicles from reaching victims.
In the days leading up to the eclipse, ODOT will have crews posted along critical travel routes to keep motorists safe, and will be providing travel updates via www.Tripcheck.com and 511 so you can be prepared with the most current travel information available. TripCheck’s speed map has been enhanced: you can now see how fast (or slow) traffic is moving on all city, county and state roads in Oregon.
