Driver alert: Six Central Oregon police agencies to join forces in traffic safety enforcement detail on area highways

Sobering stats - including 26 fatal crashes in 2024 - drive home the point

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A head's up to drivers around Bend and Deschutes County: It's always better to drive safely, of course - but especially early next week.

The Bend Police Department, in conjunction with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Redmond Police Department, Sunriver Police Department, Black Butte Police Department and Oregon State Police, announced Tuesday they will run a multiagency traffic enforcement detail focused on U.S. Highways 20, 126 and 97 and the the Bend Parkway next Monday through Wednesday, March 10-12.  

The detail, which will target high-traffic areas in Bend, Redmond, Black Butte, Sunriver and rural Deschutes County, will focus on speed, intoxicated and distracted driving, as well as other unsafe behaviors like illegal passing and not wearing seat belts, Bend Police Communications Manager Sheila Miller said. 

Speed is a leading cause of crashes, including fatal crashes, in both Central Oregon and throughout the country, Milller noted.

According to OSP, in 2024 there were 629 crashes on Central Oregon's highways. Of those, 446 resulted in injuries and 26 resulted in death.     

"Please slow down and drive safely every day, not just while our traffic detail is underway," Miller said. "And if you see law enforcement conducting traffic stops, remember that it is the law to move over and give them space."