In Alabama, we generally don’t like being told what to do, but we also do not like to be in a traffic accident while driving to the beach. This reality may be why we are in the middle of the national ranking for safe roads. Mississippi and Georgia are right there with us. Florida, well, they flunked.

All this is based on how many safety laws individual states have enacted. They include things like required child restraints, DUI and distracted driving laws, and the use of technology to find lawbreakers.

Of the 16 laws recommended by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Alabama has 6. Why do we not have them all? Well, we do have most. It is just that we are pretty lax about it. For example, an Alabama law requires backseat passengers to be buckled up. However, state troopers can only enforce the requirement if some other law is broken first.

We do get credit for automated speed enforcement. That is like the cameras that record your speed and read your car tag. The ticket is sent to you in the mail. Alabama allows it, but it is not used that often. This is not the case in Washington, D.C., where an acquaintance didn’t understand the rules and got hit with several tickets mailed to his Mobile address.

If you want to read about all 16 suggested laws, click here – Advocates Roadmap to Safety

So, would you vote for a politician that gave you safer roads but also more laws to follow? This may explain why we are in the national middle.

Drive safely this holiday … and, in fact, all year long.

If you suffer from an accident – car, boat, on-the-job, slip and fall , nursing home abuse, etc. – you can talk to us at the Law Firm of Eiland and Ritchie (251) 666-1212. Remember that it is free. We want to help you.

Join us on Sunday night for a shortened  NBC 15 LawCall  show here in Mobile. We are taking a break during football season but will return to our 30-minute show in January. All this fall, we have been putting aside a few extra hours on Monday mornings to answer any of your legal questions. Just call our office.

Allen Ritchie

Alabama Personal Injury Lawyer

The post Alabama: Do You Want Safer Roads or Less Laws? first appeared on Steele Ritchie.