How do you feel about the safety of Pennsylvania roads? Could legislators enact stronger laws to reduce the number of traffic accidents in the state?
Every year a traffic safety advocacy group tracks the safety improvements and dangers from state to state. The 2014 Roadmap of Highway Safety Laws highlights the following laws that have either improved Pennsylvania roads or would reduce the rate of accident injuries in the coming years:
Proven steps forward
- Stricter teen driving laws have reduced the number of teens who have died in Pennsylvania car accidents.
- The ban on texting while driving has improved traffic safety in the state.
Though the above traffic law changes have saved lives and reduced crashes, the highway safety report suggests that further steps should be taken to improve safety even more:
- Teen driving laws could be made even stricter to reduce the night hours when teens are allowed to drive, for example.
- There is a proposal on the table that could result in stricter distracted driving laws. The laws wouldn’t just address cell phones and texting behind the wheel; it would go so far as to deter people from giving into other distractions like eating or putting on lip gloss.
Motor vehicle accidents can be caused for a number of reasons. Maybe there was a drunk driver, a texting driver or a fatigued driver. Often, the reasons boil down to one thing: driver negligence. When someone is hurt because of a careless driver, a personal injury lawyer can evaluate the case and address a victim’s needs.
Source: The Sentinel, “Report flags traffic safety law gaps in Pa.,” Natasha Lindstrom, Feb. 1, 2014
