Oregon Friendly Driver is making roads safer for everyone — especially people walking, biking, and rolling — by educating drivers on how to share the streets kindly. With the support of Commute Options, The Street Trust, and Lane Council of Governments, this impactful program is being presented statewide to driver’s education classes, bus driver fleets, businesses, and community organizations.
By bringing the Oregon Friendly Driver course to communities across the state, the program equips drivers with essential skills to be courteous and aware when navigating roads alongside pedestrians and cyclists. Whether speaking to new drivers, professional drivers, or everyday commuters, Oregon Friendly Driver ensures that safer streets start with informed, responsible motorists.
A Driver’s Ed Instructor’s Perspective
In Central Oregon, Commute Options has been particularly focused on reaching driver’s education classes, helping new drivers develop positive habits early on.
Mayamba Ibrahim, an ODOT-Certified Driver Ed Instructor with High Desert Education Service District, shares the impact of the program: “Commute Options is a terrific resource for teaching new drivers to be ‘biker friendly,’” Ibrahim said. “They always ask how many students in the class are cyclists themselves, and every time, several hands shoot up. Every session, I learn something new about Oregon’s cycling laws alongside my students. My favorite thing about this program is its emphasis on fostering a ‘biker-friendly’ mindset rather than just focusing on the legal consequences of unsafe driving. For new drivers, a ‘carrot’ approach is far more effective than a ‘stick’ approach.”
Get Involved
Want to become a safer, more aware driver? Sign up for a free in person or online course today! Visit oregonfriendlydriver.org to learn more and enroll.
About Commute Options:
Commute Options administers the Oregon Friendly Driver Course. They are dedicated to innovative transportation options that connect people of all ages to the places they go — employees to their workplaces, students to their schools, and neighbors within their communities. Commute Options champions active transportation and infrastructure improvements, fostering essential partnerships, and educating the community on transportation options. Commute Options increases access to transportation options across Oregon.
