EPD set to begin enforcing
1997 Oregon traffic laws
■ EPD will soon be towing and
impounding vehicles of people
violating certain driving laws
By Marty Toohey
Oregon Daily Emerald
Starting Thursday, someone
caught driving drunk may need a cab
for more than just the ride home.
They may also need one for the
ride to the impoundment lot.
The Eugene Police Department
announced it will begin enforcing
two Oregon traffic laws enacted in
1997, which allow officers to tow
the vehicles of people detained for
driving while intoxicated, driving
with a suspended or revoked li
cense, violating license restrictions
or driving uninsured.
EPD is now enforcing the laws be
cause a redistribution of adminis
trative duties allows them to handle
the extra paperwork, according to
continued from page 1
Shon O’Donnell, owner of O’Don
nell’s Irish Pub, echoed Fairbaim’s
sentiments. He said his informal study
found that about 75 percent of his cus
tomers smoke, and that since the
smoking ban took effect, his business
had dropped by about 20 percent.
“How can you ask your customers
to go outside and smoke?” O’Donnell
said. “If you don’t want to smoke,
EPD Sgt. Tom Mason, who supervis
es the traffic enforcement unit.
The new enforcement will main
ly target unlicensed and uninsured
drivers, Mason said.
“Our experience is that there is a
certain group of drivers ... that
choose to continue driving unin
sured,” he said.
Many continue to drive unin
sured because overcrowded jails
mean courts cannot sentence of
fenders to jail time, Mason said.
“The court can say, ‘Well, you did
n’t pay your fines, so your license is
suspended,’ but there’s really not a
whole lot they can do except make
the fines bigger and make the sus
pension longer when the license is
already suspended,” Mason said.
“And people who’ve been hit by an
uninsured driver realize that once
they hit you, you’re out of luck.”
Officers gave out 7,947 towable
citations last year, according to an
don’t come to my bar. ”
O’Donnell added that he thinks
forcing small businesses to build
costly smoking areas is unfair. Right
now his customers are using a tent in
front of his bar.
O’Donnell said the smoking ban
is another example of the Eugene
City Council “running local busi
nesses out of town.
“How can seven people have so
much impact on my business?” he
said.
EPD study.
Beaverton, Portland, Springfield
and the Lane County Sheriffs Office
already enforce the towing laws.
The sheriffs office began enforc
ing the laws two years ago, and Lt.
Steven Weir said the results have
been “significant."
“Uninsured drivers have tradi
tionally been a big issue here,” Weir
said about Lane County. “It was not
unusual for us to pull over the same
people over and over, and now we
don’t see those people on the road.”
Mason said EPD incorporated the
towing policy as part of a larger traffic
law enforcement effort. The depart
ment received a $15,000 grant to en
force seatbelt laws and a $10,000 grant
to enforce drunk driving laws, both
from the Oregon Department of Trans
portation. Mason said EPD will use
the money to fund additional patrols.
E-mail community reporter Marty Toohey
at martytoohey@dailyemerald.com.
Fairbairn plans to appeal the fine.
O’Donnell is also considering ap
pealing, but does not like the $150
appeal fee.
Citizens register complaints by
calling Lane County Public Health’s
smoking hotline. The city of Eugene
investigates the complaints, and if it
confirms smoking in the establish
ment, it issues a warning.
E-mail community reporter Marty Toohey
at martytoohey@dailyemerald.com.
013260
Saturday, January 19
Doors: 9 p.m. Show: 9:30
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Ticket Price:
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6:30 Doors Open
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