The Baton Rouge metro area had 20,411 traffic accidents in 2023 and it’s undeniable that most of these could have been avoided. Paying more attention to the road would help, of course, but so would following not just the rules of the road but also the traffic laws.
It’s easy to be tempted to break them, but the consequences are severe. They also tend to be irreparable. You’ll find many of the most common traffic violations below, definitions of what they are, explanations as to why you may do them and the best things you can do to avoid them.
Speeding
Most traffic tickets are for speeding. You need to get to places fast so you can get back home fast, which gives you more time to relax and actually do the things you enjoy. However, speeding isn’t the answer. Better planning is.
When you speed, you put everything around you at risk even when the road is clear because you’ll have less time to react to the unexpected. Maybe a kid starts chasing his ball across the road, or a deer suddenly decides to cross. And then, when you do hit the brake, you’ll take longer to stop. To top it all off, the faster you’re going the worse the damage will be when you do crash. Take roads that aren’t busy and you’ll be less likely to speed.
Failing to Wear a Seatbelt
Always wear your seatbelt wherever the car is moving. Crashes can happen at any time and if you’re not wearing your seatbelt then you’ll find yourself suffering serious injuries. You could break bones as your body is suddenly launched into awkward directions. You could slam into someone else and hurt them.
Or, in the worst case, you could be flung out of the car entirely. Your setablet not only prevents you from flying around in a crash it also prevents you from getting jerked too far forward too quickly which could also cause some harm. Yes, you may get hurt from the seatbelt when this happens, but you’d probably take some long bruises or a minor rash over a few broken bones or even death.
There is another often unsung benefit to seat belts though: posture. They keep you sitting upright with your feet on the floor. While this can get uncomfortable on long trips, any other position would increase your chances of benign hurt. Lying down, for example, means you’re likely to be thrown around even at regular stops. Imagine what that would mean for you if you got into a crash.
It also makes it less likely that people will elevate their legs which could be squished and smashed through someone’s body during a crash. Admittedly, it’s not as effective at stopping this second position, but it does make it less comfortable.
Driving Under the Influence
Depending on your state, driving while high or drunk could get you either a driving while impaired (DWI) or a driving under the influence (DUI) charge. Drunk driving causes countless deaths every year. This charge is taken very seriously by both police and everyday people as a result. Luckily, it’s really easy to avoid.
Check every medicine you take. If it says that you should not drive until it wears off then follow those instructions. Honestly, you should probably prepare to shelter-in-place once you take the medicine because it may leave you a bit less focused or maybe even a bit loopy. When you plan to go drinking, make one person the driver.
That person should hold the car keys at all times and avoid drinking any alcohol. Their clarity will help them get you home safely and even help take care of you a little if you drink a bit too much. If you’re alone or something happens and the driver can’t drive anymore then call a taxi or use a rideshare app like Uber or Lyft. Never drive while drunk or you’ll regret it.
Distracted Driving
Taking a call, eating, and staring at the infotainment system are all ways that you could be distracted while you drive. That is the core of what all of those “don’t text and drive” ads are warning you about. Taking your eyes off of the road when you’re driving can get people killed.
Look at it this way: when you go 60 miles per hour and you drive for exactly 1 hour without ever changing your speed, you’ll have traveled 60 miles. That means 1 mile per minute. If you look away from the road for, let’s say 3 seconds, then you’ll have missed about 262 feet of road. A lot can happen in that distance, from another car ending up in the wrong lane to an animal running across the road.
And you’ll have missed all of it. It’s not hard to see why doing this multiple times in one trip could lead to a disaster. Avoiding this is very easy though. Just adjust everything before the car starts and keep your phone well out of reach and you’ll be fine.
Aggressive Driving
While it’s sad and scary to know how many aggressive drivers there are on the road, it makes sense. Your life is incredibly stressful and frustrating. It makes sense that some people turn to aggression because of it. It’s normal to get angry or frustrated, everyone does. That’s fine so long as you don’t take it out on others, but that’s what you do when you become an aggressive driver. No one, not even the angry driver themselves, are safe from their recklessness.
Even when you’re at your angriest, you don’t want to kill anyone. If you don’t get your emotions in check, though, that is likely to happen. If you can, safely pull over somewhere and work out your anger for a bit. Lay down in the back seat or get out and walk around for a bit. Give yourself time to fully calm down before driving again or you’ll put everyone on the road in danger.
