Christopher A. Slater A t t o r n e y a t L a w www.pnwlawyers.com Christopher A. Slater 2314 N.W. Savier Street Sam Hochberg Managing Attorney Portland, Oregon 97210 Retired Tel: (503) 227-2024 Fax: (503) 224-7299 Christopher A. Slater Admitted in Oregon and Washington
[email protected] March 1, 2021 Senator Lee Beyer Representative Susan McLain Chairs, Joint Committee on Transportation Oregon State Capitol 900 Court Street N.E. Salem, Oregon 97301 Re: Senate Bill 574 Dear Chairs Beyer and McLain and Members of the Committee: I am a motorcyclist and an attorney that represents injured motorcyclists in Oregon and Washington. I also advocate for the passage of laws that improve motorcycle safety and result in motorcycle awareness and driver accountability. I have been riding motorcycles since 1985 and have been practicing as an attorney in Oregon since 1997. My perspective comes from years of riding motorcycles (including in California) and representing clients injured in motorcycle accidents. I have appeared before the Oregon Legislature on bills concerning motorcycle safety and other motorcycle-related issues, and authored HB 2598 (Vehicular Assault Amendment) which passed the Legislature in 2017 and was signed into law by Governor Brown, as well as SB 810 (adding motorcycles to Vulnerable Road Users list), which passed the Legislature in 2019 and was signed into law by Governor Brown. I have also been interviewed on local television and radio regarding motorcycle-related issues in Oregon. THE CURRENT NEED FOR LANE SHARING (LANE FILTERING) Under current Oregon law, motorcycles are restricted to operating only within a single lane of traffic and are prohibited from operating between lanes of traffic, including on divided highways and freeways.