Negligent or dangerous driving habits, many of them illegal, can result in serious injuries if a crash occurs. Unfortunately, as budgets get tight, many police units in New Hampshire and other states make routine traffic patrols take a back seat to other police work. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), however, routine police patrols watching for traffic violations are a key part of preventing distracted and dangerous drivers from causing tragic accidents.
When a police department does think to enforce traffic laws in many parts of the country, it may simply send an officer out to an arbitrarily chosen stretch of road to write people up for speeding, according to the NHTSA.
This kind of “spot” enforcement of only certain laws, however, merely frustrates the public and doesn’t do anything to prevent dangerous behavior at intersections or on other stretches of road where crashes are frequent.
In order to help improve roadway safety and reduce crashes, the NHTSA recommends using local data to determine where the most accidents take place and specifically assign patrols to watch for both moving violations and equipment violations in those areas. The NHTSA also recommends creating a way for members of the public to alert police and other local officials about dangerous traffic conditions and to use this information to help make the streets safer.
Years of research show a clear connection between good traffic patrols and reductions in life-threatening vehicle crashes. However, if a crash has injured you or someone you love, the experienced car accident attorneys in New Hampshire at Tenn And Tenn, P.A. can help. For a free and confidential consultation by telephone, call us today at (603) 624-3700, or call our toll-free Injury Helpline at 1(888) 511-1010.
