Shreveport police have been collecting their car crash statistics and have come to the conclusion that it is much more likely that Louisiana residents will be in a serious motor vehicle accident than being the victim of a violent crime. Since the beginning of the year, the Shreveport police have been twice as busy investigating fatal car accidents as they have been investigating homicides.
Officers have said that they do not like to talk about car crashes as “accidents” because they often occur because a driver has done something wrong. Though Shreveport police say that it is important for all drivers to pay attention and keep an eye out for dangerous Louisiana drivers, many accidents could be prevented if drivers followed the traffic rules more closely.
One of the reasons why Shreveport drivers keep getting into car accidents is because of drivers who make right and left turns from the wrong lanes. When someone turns right, he or she should be in the far right lane; similarly, when someone turns left, he or she must be in the far left lane. When someone is in the wrong lane, he or she must cross in front of lanes that will be driving straight. Doing so is very likely to cause an accident.
Another of Shreveport’s most dangerous intersections is so because of people running red lights. Though drivers know that entering an intersection after the light has already turned red is a violation. That does not stop many people at Shreveport’s most dangerous intersections.
It is true that by being aware of others’ poor driving, the people o Louisiana may be able to avoid car accidents, but it is ultimately up to the individuals who are breaking the rules to prevent serious crashes.
Source: Shreveport Times, “Odds of being in a car crash in Shreveport are 1 in 243,” Kristi Johnston, June 24, 2012
