Working Toward Zero Road Deaths in Omaha
Today, perhaps more than ever before, Omaha drivers face potentially fatal hazards every time they get behind the wheel. Distracted driving is more pervasive than ever. America's opioid crisis has spread to the roads of Omaha, and drugged driving is now a threat on par with drunk driving.
Under such conditions, the work of government transportation agencies and advocacy groups is critical when it comes to the future of road safety.
Is It Possible to Get to Zero Roadway Deaths?
The goal of having absolutely no roadway fatalities is lofty, but one advocacy group believes it can be done. The National Safety Council has formed a Road to Zero coalition with this goal. The Coalition has laid out strategies to end all roadway deaths in the United States by 2050. Its three main initiatives include promoting evidence-based strategies that have proven successful in the past, promoting life-saving technologies in both vehicles and roadway infrastructures, and promoting a positive safety culture with safe systems approaches.
The Coalition claims that zero roadway deaths isn't impossible - it just hasn't been done yet. As encouraging as this sentiment may be, such a culture of roadway safety will require vast changes at the national, state, county, municipal, and individual levels. Governments must strengthen penalties for unsafe driving habits and enforce these laws effectively. Roadway infrastructure must be adequately maintained by federal, state, and local transportation agencies. And perhaps most importantly, individual drivers must be willing to honestly assess their own driving habits.
What Individual Drivers Can Do to Make the Roads of Omaha Safer For Everyone
Real improvements in roadway safety will only come when individual drivers accept personal responsibility for enacting safe-driving habits. This is why the law imposes penalties for unsafe driving. Fines, fees, points on a driver's license, and other penalties discourage drivers from engaging in unsafe driving in the future. But these deterrents are only effective when the driver him- or herself is willing to change.
To this end, Omaha drivers must be willing to make an honest assessment of their own driving skills as the summer travel season gets underway.
It is easy to fall into lax driving habits after decades of holding a driver's license. By identifying and correcting such habits before an accident occurs, drivers can make the roads of Omaha safer for all users. Drivers can also proactively avoid the unpleasant consequences of a traffic ticket, license suspension, or even criminal charges for reckless driving. Section 60-6,213 of the Nebraska Revised Statutes prohibits driving any vehicle in a manner that indicates an indifferent or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property.
Parents of teen drivers should be especially mindful of the driving habits their teens are learning at this crucial stage of driving development. By monitoring driving habits to implement safe skills as soon as a teen begins to drive, parents can help ensure that their teen drivers stay safe on the road.
Our Omaha auto accident attorneys have seen firsthand the devastating effects a car accident can have on victims and their families. When drivers act dangerously and negligently cause injuries to another road user, the law requires them to compensate victims for their injuries and losses.
