Please consider the potential liability to others when choosing a specific location to demonstrate.
My sad story.
I rear-ended a vehicle at the flashing light in Nehalem last Saturday. I am 70-years-old and it is the first accident I have ever had. My car is two months old. The repair estimate is more than $4,000.
Some context.
I was headed south on Highway 101. I am very familiar with the flashing-light intersection in Nehalem and the right turn permitted without stopping. I was several car lengths behind the car in front of me that had indicated it was turning right. I took my eyes off the road for just a moment to see what the demonstration was about and did not realize the car in front of me had come to a dead stop.
Here’s the point I want to make.
If I hadn’t been distracted by the group of sign-waving demonstrators lined up on the on the sidewalk very close to the intersection, I have to believe this accident would not have happened. The driver of the other vehicle admitted that she and her passengers were also looking at the demonstrators and were like-wise distracted — hence the full stop.
Please consider the potential liability of holding a demonstration so close to a busy intersection such as the one in Nehalem.
Situating your group a bit further down the sidewalk away from the intersection would lessen the chance of driver distraction without affecting the impact of your demonstration.
Thank you for your consideration.
Martha Schechtel